Specialist Midwife

Responsibilities

• Work as part of an MDT team across perinatal and maternal mental health services. Working across the geographical area with several acute trusts to establish pathways to address local need.
• Providing extra support and care to a defined group of women, in partnership with their own midwife, MMHS team, Perinatal team, health visiting and neonatal teams.
• Working closely with women and families to plan and coordinate their care based on their individual needs. The Specialist Midwife will deliver a high standard of care for women with specific mental health problems in pregnancy and the postnatal period, and their families.
• Communication skills:
  The specialist must have excellent verbal and written communication in a sometimes‑difficult environment, using tact and diplomacy.
• Part of a multidisciplinary team with high level of relevant expert knowledge and skills to manage, develop and care for pregnant and new mothers with complex mental health needs, including tokophobia, birth‑related and complex trauma, perinatal loss. Work alongside perinatal psychologists and other health professionals.
• Provide a link between acute maternity services and other services involved in mental health care for women, including local primary care therapy service and perinatal mental health team. Ensure relevant pathways, policies and processes for women with, or at risk of, mental illness are developed, implemented and audited. Work with a range of relevant professionals, services and agencies.
• Responsible and accountable for ensuring the delivery of safe, effective and efficient care to women with perinatal mental health needs during pregnancy and the postnatal period. Work as part of an MDT across both Maternal and Perinatal pathways.
• Act as a vital link between Maternity Services and other universal and statutory health and social care providers. Take on a strategic and developmental role within local maternity services.
• Lead and develop projects related to Perinatal and Maternal Mental Health across the locality.
• Strengthen collaborations to deliver high‑quality early support services for women and families.
• Contribute to wider service development aligned with the Long‑Term Plan and the ambitions for family‑focused support and maternal mental health services in maternity settings.
• Audit service provision against local pathways.
• Provide consultation, training and support to a range of partners involved in Perinatal and Maternal Mental Health.

Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT) is an award winning organisation with over 9000 employees. We are one of the largest integrated Health and Social Care providers, covering services across North & South Staffordshire, Shropshire, Hampshire, Buckinghamshire, Isle of Wight and Essex.

At MPFT we pride ourselves on staff wellbeing and development and can we offer you:

• Our SOOTHE resources – supporting staff across the trust with their physical, mental and financial health, in addition to the support offered by our occupational health provider Team Prevent.
• Counselling support and lifestyle information with advice on a variety of personal matters.
• “In our Gift” – providing a platform for your voice to be heard to inform change.
• The opportunity to purchase additional annual leave.
• Opportunities for flexible working (depending on the role).
• Career development opportunities and coaching plus access to in‑house training programs.
• Innovative research training program entitled STARS (Supporting the Advancement of Research Skills).
• Child Care Vouchers Scheme.
• Recognition and engagement through our staff LOVE awards, LOVE long service awards and Staff Engagement Surveys.
• NHS discounts available via the Blue Card and Red Guava schemes.
• Demonstrating our strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, and in context of our objective aligned to the growth of diversity across the workforce; we are particularly seeking applications from individuals who may be from under‑represented groups, such as black, Asian or other ethnic groups, individuals with a disability, or LGBTQ+ individuals who meet the specific criteria.
• We are embedding values‑based and inclusive recruitment practices to ensure that all applicants, from any background, have an equal chance of success in achieving a role with us.