Deputy Head of Midwifery

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Job overview

An exceptional and exciting opportunity has arisen at University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust (UHL) as we are looking for a strong, and inspirational midwifery leader who can bring insight and skills related to working in maternity services.

Our maternity and neonatal services are undergoing an extensive improvement journey and working with all key stakeholders to develop sustainable improvements across the service.

This post will provide a unique and significant opportunity for the successful applicant to develop in their operational and strategic midwifery leadership career supported by the Head of Midwifery, Head of Nursing, Director of Midwifery and the Chief Nurse.

You will work with all members of the senior midwifery and nursing leadership team alongside operational and clinical colleagues as part of the Senior Leadership Team within the Women's and Children Clinical Management Group (CMG).

As a compassionate and collaborative leader, and supportive manager, you will influence and deliver change and empower and support career growth in your teams.

The successful candidate will be actively involved in operationally leading the service and will be an essential voice and role in ensuring the provision of a safe, effective, and evidence-based midwifery service for women and families.

Main duties of the job

The Deputy Head of Midwifery will have day to day oversight of the operational management of the maternity services to ensure safe staffing and patient flow throughout the service and delivery of key quality performance, clinical governance and financial plans, ensuring national standards are adhered to and clinical practice is in line with national evidence best practice.

In addition to members of the wider multi-disciplinary team, you will contribute and be integral to the development of our Perinatal Improvement Programme taking the lead on governance and risk.

Working with the Head of Midwifery, Head of Nursing, and second Deputy Head of Midwifery you will support the development and progression of continuous improvement to achieve consistency of practice, high standards of care and innovation.

As the Deputy Head of Midwifery you will demonstrate effective leadership skills, meeting challenging deadlines, and deliver on key performance targets including a significant focus on perinatal quality surveillance and workforce

Working as a key clinical leader within the CMG, you will contribute to the overall achievement of the Leicester Excellence Accreditation Framework (LEAF) playing a lead role in ensuring clinical standards are developed, maintained and monitored.

Working for our organisation

Our new strategy, developed with the support and feedback of colleagues, patients, and partners, is our compass for the next seven years (2023-2030).

We have four primary goals:

• high-quality care for all,
• being a great place to work,
• partnerships for impact, and
• research and education excellence

And we will embed health equality in all we do - taking active steps to reduce the avoidable differences in healthcare that some people face, working in partnership with communities.

Our strategy is underpinned by new values and we will work to ensure they are an everyday reality for all:

• we are compassionate,
• we are proud,
• we are inclusive, and
• we are one team

This is an exciting moment as we look to the future with clarity on what we already do well and where we need to focus our energies to make an even bigger difference for the people we serve.

About the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust:

http://www.leicestershospitals.nhs.uk/aboutus/work-for-us/current-vacanc...

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Deputy Head of Midwifery has responsibility for the leadership and line management of midwifery and nursing across Women's and Maternity within the Clinical Management Group (CMG) and is the named and identified lead for issues of nursing and midwifery practice for Women's & Maternity (including neonatal services).

The role:

• Has responsibility for the delivery of safe and clinically effective care
• Leads and manages the clinical services in defined clinical areas/specialities by formulating long term, strategic plans, which involve uncertainty and may impact across the whole organisation.
• Provides credible, visible and effective leadership, to Matrons and the midwifery and nursing team
• Contributes to the leadership of midwifery and nursing within the Trust as a member of the professional Nursing and Midwifery Board.
• Provides advice, guidance and direction to other senior clinical and managerial colleagues on a range of matters as required.
• Develops mechanisms to enable Matrons to develop and strengthen their leadership and management skills to meet the responsibilities of their roles.
• Actively works to lead and empower midwives and nurses to develop and utilise their clinical leadership skills, enabling them to assume appropriate levels of authority to undertake their role effectively to support and develop the leadership within their wards and teams.
• Takes the lead on defined and time limited projects or work programmes across the CMG identified by the Head of Midwifery to support the delivery of Trust, national and local professional priorities and objectives.
• Demonstrates highly skilled leadership and develop clinical leadership in others and facilitate effective succession planning.
• Participates in Trust initiatives to develop and improve clinical practice and patient care, providing expert advice and current service provision future developments.

Person specification

Training & Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Midwife NMC Registered Practitioner
• MSc or equivalent leadership / management
• Relevant & Up To Date CPD

Desirable criteria

• Registered Nurse

Experience & Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Senior Midwifery Leadership / Management
• Leading Service Improvement or Change Management
• HR & Resource management
• Managing a Budget
• Workforce Planning
• Clinical Governance / Risk / Safety
• National Drivers for Maternity Improvement & Transformation

Communication & Relationships

Essential criteria

• Communicate in Highly Complex and Difficult Matters
• Influencing & Negotiation Skills
• Work across organisational boundaries
• Excellent interaction across the Multi-Disciplinary Team

Analytical

Essential criteria

• Ability to make decisions autonomously, when required, on difficult issues
• Making Data Count - Understanding of Complex Qualitative & Quantitative Information

Skills

Essential criteria

• Compile Committee / Governance Reports communicating complex information

Planning

Essential criteria

• Ability to work on own initiative and organise workload, allocating work as necessary, working to tight and often changing deadlines

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Essential criteria

• Compassionate and inclusive leadership recognising dignity and respect

Additional Information

Please submit your application form without delay to avoid disappointment; we will close vacancies prior to the publishing closing date if we receive a sufficient number of completed application forms.

Please check the email account (including your junk mail) that you supplied as part of your application on a regular basis following the closing date and throughout the recruitment process, as this is how we will communicate with you.

UHL is an equal opportunities employer. We aim to employ a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds who match our job criteria.

Applicants who have a disability and meet the essential criteria for the job will be interviewed if you indicate you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme. If you require a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process please make the recruitment services team aware as soon as possible.

UHL is committed to helping colleagues balance the demands of both their work and personal needs through flexible working arrangements wherever reasonably practicable and subject to service needs.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

Please note if you are successful in obtaining this position and the post involves regulated activity you will be required to undertake a Disclosure & Barring Service check.

The Trust will pay for the check initially and the money will then be deducted from your salary over a three month period commencing on your first month's payment.

The current price of a check is £38 for an enhanced and £18 for a standard check.

COVID 19 Risk Assessment

Due to the current Covid pandemic we have introduced a staff risk assessment into our pre-employment process. This now forms part of the mandatory pre-employment checks that will be carried out if you receive a conditional offer.

The risk assessment is intended to ensure you are able to safely perform your duties in any of our work areas, and if you have been identified as being particularly vulnerable to coronavirus. Our main aim is to reduce risk and to ensure the safety of all new starters to the Trust as well as current staff, patients and visitors.

If it is identified that you are within a vulnerable category, we will endeavor to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate this through discussions with both Occupational Health and your recruiting manager.

Covid Vaccination Status

Covid-19 vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself, family, colleagues and our patients/service users from the Covid-19 virus. We therefore continue to encourage our current and potential colleagues to get vaccinated.

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust holds the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of everything it does and all that it stands for. We are committed to developing a workforce that is representative of the community we serve. We welcome applications from the diverse community of Leicester, Leicester and Rutland, to help deliver healthcare services that meets the needs of our diverse communities.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

• Job description Inc personal spec (PDF, 552.5KB)
• Understanding your right to work in the UK (PDF, 1.1MB)
• Employee Benefits (PDF, 578.5KB)