Band 7 Fetal Surveillance Midwife

Published: Published today

Midwife

Our trust has over 17,000 staff serving 2 million patients every year. It comprises Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital, North Middlesex University Hospital and more than 30 services in the community. This larger scale organisation provides an unprecedented opportunity for us to continue our pioneering work, particularly in finding ways to deliver even better care to our patients.

Our mission is to deliver world class care and expertise in our clinical services, underpinned by world class teaching and research and we will continue to measure our progress against our five governing objectives: excellent outcomes, excellent patient and staff experience, excellent value for taxpayers’ money, being safe and meeting our external duties, and building a strong organisation.

Everyone is welcome at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. We're proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME, gender equality, staff carers and people with disabilities and lived experiences to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a set of technology that can perform various tasks that typically required human intelligence. Your application is your opportunity to demonstrate to us how you meet the requirements of the role. We recognise that AI tools can support accessibility, equity and confidence for applicants. However, it’s important that examples and responses genuinely reflect your own experience and abilities, as these will be explored further during the selection process. AI must not be used to provide misleading or false information during any stage of the application journey. Further guidance can be found in the NLPSS Applicant Toolkit https://royalfree.pagetiger.com/cuuomnr/1.

Click here to view our video Welcome to the Royal Free

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is committed to ensuring that its recruitment processes are carried out with integrity, transparency, and fairness for all applicants. To help maintain these standards, we ask candidates to provide accurate and truthful information throughout the recruitment process.

If incorrect or misleading information is identified, this may affect the progression of an application, any employment offer, or continued employment. As part of our due diligence, the company may verify the information provided by applicants and take appropriate action where necessary.

We do not charge applicants any fees at any stage of the recruitment process, including applications, interviews, sponsorship arrangements, pre-employment checks, or employment offers. All vacancies are advertised through TRAC/NHS Jobs and candidates are assessed solely on their skills, qualifications, experience, and suitability for the role. If you are asked to make a payment in connection with an NHS job opportunity, please treat this as suspicious and contact the organisation directly using the details published on our official career's website

Applicants can refer to the Fraud Act 2006 for further information: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/35/contents

Job overview

We are looking for an individual who is experienced in assessing fetal wellbeing at the different maternity settings and is skilled and experienced in teaching. The post holder will be expected to support Labour Ward as well as the other maternity areas and work collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team to ensure a safe and efficient service.

The role will require the individual to take a lead on teaching and ensuring training targets are met for fetal wellbeing in accordance to the National requirements.

The role will require the post holder to work collaboratively with the matron to ensure the smooth running of the service including training and orientating and updates.

The post holder will be required to keep abreast of any changes to process or protocol and will be able to able to educate all necessary staff of these changes.

The post holder must be prepared to be part of the team supporting training and assessment for student and preceptorship midwives.

Advert

To support and work with the teams across the Maternity department to develop a programme plan to facilitate the implementation of a clinically based teaching and competency based assessment package to aim towards achieving better birth outcomes.
To develop staff awareness in recognising pathophysiological factors that could contribute to misinterpretation of the fetal heart pattern. This will be relevant when using both intermittent auscultation plotted on a partogram and electronic monitoring using a cardiotocographs (CTGs). To develop and expand midwives' competence in undertaking intermittent auscultation of the fetal heart when caring for low risk women as per NICE guidelines, utilising the most current and robust evidence based practice
Ensure staff can intelligently auscultate the fetal heart in labour in the midwifery led unit and at home reflective in the documentation, and increase confidence in staff in auscultating the fetal heart intermittently using either a pinard or hand held sonicaid.

Working for our organisation

This role is North Middlesex Hospital based.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To further embed and develop the current competency testing for fetal monitoring to assess and improve the knowledge and skills of all staff providing intrapartum and antenatal care across all maternity settings.
To produce and cascade out and embed into practice an “intelligent intermittent auscultation” training package and lead on the use of this in training midwives who provide intrapartum care on the Delivery Suites, the Midwifery Led Unit and in the woman’s home.
Ensure that all midwives and obstetricians providing antenatal and intrapartum care undertake the competency test in assessing fetal wellbeing.
In conjunction with the midwifery education team provide enhanced teaching and additional support to staff who need to repeat the competency test to in order to achieve and demonstrate the expected levels of knowledge.
Lead weekly CTG workshops, maintaining an electronic database to evidence attendance registers and ensure compliance to the mandatory requirement for midwives and medical staff. Disseminate learning which emerges from workshops.
Organise CTG master classes on the monthly mandatory training week ensuring the attendance of all eligible staff.
Develop, in conjunction with the Maternity Matrons, Obstetric Lead for Delivery Suite and the Obstetric Lead for Risk, an audit form (on a daily basis) for case reviews all emergency deliveries i.e. instrumental and caesarean sections in the previous twenty-four hours to review the interpretation of CTGs and subsequent management of care. Use findings of such cases for reflective practice sessions, to cascade and evidence learning from good practice and identify areas for further development
Use every opportunity to facilitate teaching, learning and reflection within the clinical area.
When required to work as a practicing midwife within the maternity unit and undertake unit coordinator duties as required
Ensure staff are assessing fetal well-being in the context of the woman's health, pregnancy, gestation and stage of labour by observing how handover is communicated at change of shifts, midwife to doctor communication when referrals are made and listening to assessments made over the telephone (SBAR).
Ensure that interpretation of fetal assessment is undertaken with a structured approach, reflective of recommendations within our current guidelines and that all documentation reflects this approach.

Applications are welcome from people wishing to job share or work flexible patterns. We are committed to equal opportunities.

Please note:

Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts we may close this vacancy before the advertised closing date. Therefore please apply for this post as soon as you can, if you are interested and you meet the requirements of the Person Specification
Only those candidates who clearly demonstrate how they meet the person specification will be shortlisted for this job.
Interview arrangements will be communicated via email so please check your email regularly following the closing date.

Please be advised that due to exceptionally high demand, all Royal Free accommodation is at full capacity and waiting lists are being held. Average waiting times are 12 months. Please do not rely on Trust accommodation when you commence your role and ensure you investigate alternative accommodation for your arrival.