Selection day: Wednesday 5 February 2025 The Director of Midwifery will act as the Trust expert on midwifery and maternity issues both internally and externally. The role is a key senior leadership position, ensuring excellent quality outcomes and experience for women, birthing people and their families when using Trust Maternity Services. The Director of Midwifery will: Be a senior member of the Executive Director of Nursing, Midwifery, AHPs and Qualitys leadership team, operating with a significant degree of autonomy and being the recognised professional lead for midwifery with the Trust. Report directly to the Board on midwifery and maternity matters Have the support of an Executive and Non-Executive Board Level Maternity Safety Champion Set the vision and strategy for midwifery within the Trust and, with the Clinical Director, develop the strategy for maternity services, ensuring that the vision and strategy are aligned to the Trusts mission, vision and values and focus on improving outcomes and experience for women.

Lead on setting and maintaining a compassionate and inclusive culture in midwifery and, with the Clinical Director, across the maternity services. This should be an open and respectful culture where teams are confident and skilled in providing regular, constructive feedback, where issues can be raised and solved openly, leading to improvements for women, their families and for staff. Provide expert professional advice to the Executive, Board and partner organisations on midwifery and maternity matters, maintaining an up to date understanding of national policy and best practice. Set professional standards, and agree and direct the delivery of safety and quality objectives to continuously improve midwifery and maternity services (the latter with the Clinical Director).

Act as an advocate for the needs of women and birthing people and for continuous improvement in their experience and outcomes. Work with the support of the Care Group Director, Associate Director of Operations (Family Health), and with the Clinical Director, Heads of Midwifery and the General Manager to ensure the Service meets all external requirements relating to Maternity Services in relation to national plans, MSSP, CQC, CNST and HSIB etc. Actively establish and build a wide range of effective networks, contacts and partnerships within and external to the Trust which are used to inform and influence improvements in service delivery and outcomes. Work as an integral member of a leadership quadrumvirate for the Family Health Care Group, which brings together maternity, neonatal obstetrics, gynaecology, and paediatric services, to ensure that: there is seamless and effective integration between relevant services; overall care group objectives are achieved, and the service is fully connected into the Trusts overall governance and management model.

Develop constructive and effective working relationships with the Executive, the Board and within the quadrumvirate as an enabler for the success of the midwifery teams and maternity services. Be responsible for ensuring that Professional Midwifery Advocacy is in place for all midwives, working collaboratively with the corporate nursing directorate PMA/PNA lead to ensure that the Trust has a robust model in place. Work with all stakeholders, including Deputy and Associate Directors of Nursing, to ensure optimum standards of care and shared learning across all areas. This post holder is a senior member of the Family Health Care Group but will work closely with the Nursing and Quality Directorate and have a direct link to the Executive Team and Trust Board.

The Family Health Care Group includes the Directorate of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and the Directorates of Paediatrics, Neonates and Childrens Therapies. There are approximately 4,300 births per annum across County Durham and Darlington hospital sites. The Obstetric Unit at the University Hospital of North Durham has: 13 delivery rooms 13 bed Ante/Postnatal Ward Recovery Area One dedicated obstetric theatre Planned C/S lists in main theatre three times per week One birthing pool Pregnancy Assessment Unit 9 bedded area with a scan room Antenatal Clinic 4 rooms Bereavement suite The Obstetric Unit at Darlington Memorial Hospital has: 10 Delivery Rooms 23 Bed Antenatal/Postnatal Ward One dedicated Obstetric Theatre Recovery area 2 beds Planned C/S lists in main theatre twice a week One birthing pool Pregnancy Assessment Unit 1 scan room, 1 triage room, 3 assessment rooms Antenatal clinic 5 rooms Plans in place to develop a bereavement suite

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Director of Midwifery