As the system Chief Midwife, the post holder will work as part of the maternity and neonatal network team for the transformation and quality assurance of services for maternity and neonatal care across North West London (NWL). The Chief Midwife is central to leading and shaping maternity and neonatal service strategy across the Integrated Care System and LMNS. This role is key in developing a high quality maternity system; with services that are person-centred and reduce variation in quality and outcomes across NWL.
The role will work with the NWL LMNS, ICB Chief Nurse, ICS SRO for Maternity and Neonates, ICB Executive team, Director of Clinical Programmes, the NWL Maternity and Neonatal Teams and all our provider trusts.
We are looking for a dynamic individual dedicated to improving Maternity services in NWL who will play a crucial role in supporting delivery of safe and effective Maternity and Neonatal Services, including coordinating partnership working across NWL.
Your role as the Chief Midwife will be instrumental in shaping the future of maternity services in NWL. You will need: experience of working at a senior strategic and operational level as a midwife at system and trust level; experience of leading and delivering complex change in politically sensitive and complex environments; contemporary leadership and knowledge of clinical maternity services that has delivered clear and measurable improvements for service users and the teams that support them; to be able to demonstrate leadership, vision, and strategic thinking with an ability to influence senior system and regional leaders, combined with honesty and integrity that promote NWL values.
This position offers an excellent opportunity for an individual who possesses visionary leadership, a collaborative approach, and strong analytical thinking. If you display resilience, empathy, and innovativeness to address health inequalities and improve outcomes for pregnant people and families, we encourage you to apply. Effective communication, a strategic mindset, and organisational savviness are vital for engaging stakeholders and aligning projects with broader NHS strategies.
Informal discussions are welcomed by Jennifer Roye, Interim Chief Nursing Officer [email protected] and Janet Cree, Director of Clinical Programmes [email protected]
NHS North West London Integrated Care Board (NHS NWL ICB) is a statutory body responsible for planning and allocating health and care resources to improve the lives of people in eight boroughs across North West London: Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster.
The local population is large and diverse, with a wide range of health and care needs that are evolving all the time. Working with our partners including Councils, NHS provider Trusts, GPs and voluntary and community organisations we plan and allocate NHS resource to deliver a wide range of services including urgent and emergency care, mental health, primary care, elective hospital services and community care.
Working for us, you can help ensure that our residents and patients have access to the right services when they need them and assist them take greater care of their own health to ensure they live longer, healthier lives.
support broader social and economic development within our area.
Were proud of our staff and the contribution they make and are committed to developing their knowledge and skills in a supportive, inclusive, and values-led organisation.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Maintain a clinical registration related to maternity or neonatal care, to provide expert clinically informed support for the following:
Operational
To provide corporate, strategic and expert professional and clinical leadership in the delivery of maternity services across the ICS. Formulating long-term, strategic plans, which involve uncertainty and which may impact across the multiple organisations and multi-agency partners within the Integrated Care Partnership.
Support the development of the ICB plan to improve clinical outcomes and reduce health inequalities across the ICS.
Promote a culture of inclusive, professional leadership, role mode of the values and behaviours, engaging with Midwifery and other professional groups across the ICS.
Develop a culture that encourages midwives to be innovative, creative, and challenging in the interests of patient care and professional practice.
To provide professional leadership for midwives, neonatology nurses and other professional group implementing a just cultures and safe care for patients, service users and staff.
To ensure visible Midwifery leadership at ICS system, regional and national level.
Lead the quality assurance and risk management of maternity services across the ICS. Responsible for major policy implementation and service development, which impacts across the ICB, maternity provider services, interdependencies with other health services in NWL and regionally, and interdependencies in arrangements for care from multi-agency partners within NWL.
To implement national policies for women across NWL and developing a long-term strategic vision that enables high quality services and high quality care, improved outcomes and improves family experiences.
To ensure high quality person-centred care for mothers and babies through pregnancy, birth and postnatal period.
To promote and maintain an evidence-based culture for midwifery to share good practice and ensure Directors of Midwifery share and implement evidence-based practice.
Drive high quality maternal care in partnership with the Maternity Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP), the Local Maternity and Neonatal System (LMNS) and NHSE London Maternity Networks.
Attend clinical walk rounds and engagement with frontline staff.
Provide expert advice and interpretation of national policies.
Chair regular meetings with the ICS Directors of Midwifery.
Work collaboratively with the regional Chief Midwife, providing updates on systems work plans.
To co-chair the Local Maternity and Neonatal System meetings.
Work with higher institutions to optimise the pipeline of new midwives, maternity workers and returners to practice. Support the capital midwife and international recruitment.
Develop and support transformation within the maternity, neonatal models of care.
Be responsible for leading the strategic development and implementation of improving the maternity service user and carer experience.
To play a key role in the development of services with the objective of improving the quality of patient care, reducing unnecessary admissions/ readmissions and length of stay.
Participate in the development of the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) and attend the incident review oversight meetings. To work with the Directors of Midwifery on lessons to be learnt and embedded across the system.
Develop approaches to participation that enable members of the public and service users and carers to comment on the maternity service current performance and contribute actively to the development of the Divisional services.
Maintain contacts with the Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership and patient groups to develop their capacity and capability to contribute to the maternity services planning arrangements and to act as advocate for service user interests when required.
To support the ICB Chief Nursing Officer on the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST) framework and achievement to drive and evidence a safe maternity service.
Provide advice to maternity freedom of information requests and support the drafting of complaints responses for maternity through the ICB complaints process.
Support staff across the ICS to actively develop their skills, knowledge and experience through opportunities that are available across the system.
The Chief Midwife will deputise the Chief Nursing officer at national, regional and ICS meetings.
Financial and physical resources
Support the Directors of Midwifery on the financial delivery and delegated budget management.
Responsible for ensuring adherence to the Directorate budget, ongoing monitoring of expenditure against budget.
To promote quality, innovation, productivity and performance that improves quality of care and patient outcomes; driving transformation through agreed improvement models to improve value for money.
Human resources
Support the Directors of Midwifery devise and manage training functions across maternity and neonatal service providers in NWL.
Ensure training and development across maternity service providers supports a population health management approach, and a methodologically robust and consistent approach to reducing health inequity through coproduction.
Supports training needs analylsis, learning opportunities, professional development, and appropriate clinical supervision for the clinical staff in the ICB Maternity & Neonates network to maintain their clinical registration.
Information Management
Provide and receive highly complex, sensitive and contentious information, including presenting information involving a wide range of stakeholders in formal settings; therefore, the post holder must have the ability to deal with resulting potentially challenging situations.
Working in partnership with the ICB maternity and neonates network team, developing and presenting highly complex presentations & reports at the LMNS, System Quality Group, Performance Committee & other meetings as directed by the Chief Nursing Officer.
Responsible for the management & reporting of information to internal & external stakeholders.
To participate in the ICS System Quality Group and providing maternity updates with the ICB operational lead on maternity matters.
Planning and Organisation
Utilise a range of leadership and change management skills and act as role model at all times and coach senior midwifery and nursing staff in the roles.
Identify opportunities for growing, improving & redesigning services in line with the ICBs objectives.
Leading maternity services in the delivery of an inclusive environment for colleagues through the implementation of the NHS Workforce Race Quality Standards (WRES).
Policy and Service Development
Liaising with the ICB programme and to ensure quality is embedded in provider contracts, liaising with the Programme Directors to ensure a full understanding of provider pressures which may impact on provider quality and making a corporate contribution to the delivery of the commissioning strategy and plans of the ICS.
Ensure there are processes in place for spreading and sharing learning and outcomes.
Develop programme strategies which include research and development to identify, develop and promote best practice.
Research and development
Ensures coordination of clinical audit activity and surveys across NWL maternity services.
Ensures appropriate participation of pregnant people in clinical trials and equipment testing, including adaptations to improve the equity of healthcare experience.
Reducing inequalities
Ensure services are developed and provided in a way that provides equal access and care for all our residents
Promote approaches where residents views actively shape service and care provision, including through use of co-production to drive measurable transformation for residents.
Use data and information to actively review and monitor the impact of services and decisions on our diverse population, taking action where necessary to ensure greater equality of impact.
Ensure Equality Health Impact Assessments (EHIA) are proactively undertaken for all service developments.
Promote a culture that embraces equality and strives continuously to reduce inequality in for all NW London residents and staff.
Other
This role specification and job description are not intended to be exhaustive, and it is likely that duties may be altered from time to time in the light of changing circumstances and after consultation with the post holder.
(Managers only) All staff must comply with the NHS Code of Conduct for Managers, based on the Nolan principles of public accountability.
Information resources: As with all ICB employees a good level of IT competence is required with utilisation of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, MS teams and other supporting systems.
Working conditions: The role is largely a desk-based role with frequent use of VDU for extended periods of time, however with frequent requirements for travel and engagement in face to meetings with partners including residents.
Emotional effort: The role has occasional exposure to distressing or emotional circumstances associated with reviewing the care of pregnant people and families experiencing bereavement. There may be occasional indirect exposure to highly distressing or highly emotional circumstances when supporting families address concerns about areas services need to improve.
Additional Mandatory Training (specific to role)
Maintain NMC Registration or other relevant maternity or neonatal health professional registration
In addition to completing the NWL ICB mandatory training modules the post holder will be required complete the following:
Safeguarding Children Level 3
Safeguarding Children Level 3