Job responsibilities
The primary role of the Maternity Care Assistant is to assist, support and work in collaboration with the midwife and the wider
multidisciplinary team; to provide a safe and holistic approach to women centred care.
The midwife is ultimately responsible for the care
of the mother and her new-born(s), and itis under the direct or indirect supervision of the
midwife that the MCA assists with and provides personal care following completion of any
relevant or appropriate training. The
post is rotational and the employee will be provided
with appropriate training for the clinicalsetting in which they are working. These settings
include antenatal inpatient care, intrapartum inpatient care and postnatal
inpatient care.
The post holder is expected to undertake a set of
defined competencies. This job description is directly
linked to The Maternity Support WorkerCompetency, Education and career Development
Framework set out by Health EducationEngland.
Key Duties:
Develops and maintains positive
relationships, respects the womans and herfamilies wishes, with kindness, compassion and empathy.
Should be trustworthy, provide woman centred care and support, and takeownership for mistakes by reporting concerns or errors to a registered
practitioner ina timely manner.
Recognises the Maternity Care
Assistants scope of practice within nationalframeworks
Understands main principles of
team working and can define their own role and roleof others.
Administrative
Duties
Keeps complete, clear, accurate and timely records.
Provide administrative support to the maternity team.
Professional
Attitudes and responsibilities
Convey an approachable and professional manner to all mothers and their
families
Demonstrates an awareness of discriminatory attitudes and challenges this
behaviour,with reference to age, disability, gender
reassignment, marriage, civilpartnership, pregnancy, race, religion, sex
and sexual orientation.
Is aware of legal and ethical responsibilities in relation to own role
including the needto work in ways agreed by the employer
Does not project own experiences and values onto other and demonstratesunderstanding of own role and contribution in
creating inclusive, equitable care
Is aware of organisational aims, objectives, policies and values that relate to
the MCArole
Recognizes the importance of maintaining own health, wellbeing and resilience
toensure that personal performance and
judgement is not affected by ill-health
Ensure that knowledge of local safeguarding policy and procedure is maintained.
Understands and follows principles of safeguarding and protection and adheres
tolocal security procedures.
Training
Responsibilities
Attend all statutory and mandatory training as and when required.
Maintains and develops own skills and knowledge with training accessed whererequired. Keeps evidence of personal
development, prepares for and participates inappraisal
Participate in annual individual performance review process, whereby objectives
willbe agreed, performance monitored, and
personal development needs discussed.
Is always welcoming and takes an interest in the education and development ofTrainee Maternity Care assistants and Trainee
Maternity Support workers inacquiring skills and knowledge.
Safe Environment
Ensure own actions promote a positive and safe environment. This includeschecking the clinical area for hazards,
ensuring the working order of equipment,reporting
any concerns, faults or breakages to the appropriate person in a timelymanner.
Demonstrates the ability to respond flexibly to needs of the working
environment
Demonstrates safe and evidence-based practice in all skills and procedures
statedwithin job description
Ensure that each woman feels safe and knows how to access support if required
Uses a range of techniques for infection prevention and control. Using PPE asrequired.
Act responsibly in respect of colleagues health, safety and welfare following
safetyat work guidance and protocol.
Ensure the cleanliness of equipment in all clinical and non-clinical areas and
assistthe midwife in appropriately preparing the
birthing environment.
Ensure adequate stock levels are maintained in all clinical settings, and
equipment isavailable; escalate any depletion of stock or
resources in a timely manner.
Assist in stocking up and cleaning all home birth team equipment if required.
Report any incidents using the local risk management reporting system and
escalatesuch incidents appropriately and in a timely
manner. To ensure they are followinglocal health and safety guidance
Understands the importance of following standard operating procedures,
protocols,policies and guidelines to promote safety
Understands the importance of courage and candour, recognizing and reportingbehaviours or errors that could result in
poor outcomes for women and their families
Supports audit and service improvement initiatives and keeps up to date withchanges in policy and practice
Care
of the Woman
Escort women and their families between clinical areas as required
Assist with the admission, orientation and discharge of women and their babies
inaccordance with local policy and guidance.
Communicate respectfully, effectively and timely manner when speaking with
womenand the wider MDT, utilising verbal and
non-verbal skills
Understand and gains valid consent prior to action or providing care.
Manages delegated tasks effectively and in a timely manner for which they have received
training, ensuring basic care needs for women
and babies are met. Reportscompletion of tasks and any finding to an
appropriate practitioner
Assists in effective care planning and evaluation by sharing relevant
information in atimely manner with members of the MDT
Understands the benefits of continuity of carer and how this applies within own
role
Recognizes and responds to signs of discomfort and anxiety or concerns raised
bypromptly reporting them to an appropriate
practitioner
Support women during clinical procedures and act as chaperone when requested todo so by the midwifery or obstetric team.
Shares knowledge and teaches skills that empower women and their families tosafely and effectively care for themselves
Provide support with personal care to labouring women if asked to do so, and
underthe supervision of the midwife.
Assist in the maintenance and understand the principles of good bladder care,
suchand hydration and to document accurately the
fluid balance.
Assist in the nutrition needs of women
- Assist women with mobilisation following
surgical procedures under direction of the midwife.
Notices vulnerability, changing or additional needs and reports these to a
suitably qualified colleague to take forward
Acts sensitively, compassionately and respectfully in situations where the
family unitis separated e.g. if mother/baby are
critically ill. Make sure the family members areupdated with accurate information by the
appropriate team member
Ensures tasks that separate families are kept to a minimum and are carried out
withkindness and empathy
Acts sensitively, compassionately and respectfully during times of bereavement
andloss and follows care plans within scope of
their role
Obstetric
and Neonatal Emergencies
support and assist the
midwife in thewomans preparation for transfer to theatre
Recognises and acts upon within own parameters of competence any abnormalevents or emergencies, escalating to the
multidisciplinary team through theappropriate means, in a timely manner. Where
a registered practitioner is notpresent, they should initiate immediate first
aid whilst awaiting arrival of appropriatelyqualified practitioner
Health
Promotion and Screening
Directs queries regarding local and national services to support women and
theirfamilies to a suitably qualified colleague to
take forward
To seek support from a qualified practitioner when a woman shows a desire to
makechanges to health behaviours
To be aware of and understand the current policy and service frameworks for
mentalhealth
Understands the aims and principles of health promotion, protection andimprovement.
Appreciates the importance of recognizing and supporting physical and emotionalhealth and wellbeing and actively encourage
women and their families to talk abouthealth and wellbeing and escalate to midwife
to enable appropriate care pathway
Infant
Feeding
Be able to describe the key practices that facilitate the initiation and have
theknowledge and skills to support maintenance
of breastfeeding
Understand and have an overview of circumstances which can affect lactation andbreastfeeding and be able to support mothers
to overcome common challenges andmake appropriate referrals when necessary
Be able to support parents who formula feed to do so responsively and as safely
aspossible including minimising the risks, to
make up feeds as safely as possible, howto sterilise equipment, how to hold a baby
and pace the feeds
Importance of skin-to-skin contact to support infant feeding and how to
facilitate thiswithin practice promoting responsive feeding
to feeding cues
Understanding principles and mechanisms of attachment and positioning foreffective feeding in line with BFI standards
Understands how to protect breastfeeding should supplementation be required
Expression and storage of breastmilk to include hand and pump expressiontechnique and the use of cup feeding
Care
of the Newborn
Observe the overall wellbeing of the newborn and escalate any concerns to named Midwife or multi-professional team in a
timely manner
Provide practical support and transition to parenthood for new parents when
caringfor their newborn
