Are you a band 6 midwife passionate about providing both continuity and a homebirth service? If you are interested, we need your input now to continue to develop a model that works for women and works for midwives.
At Lewisham and Greenwich Trust, we currently offer Homebirths to women living in the Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley Borough. Currently home births account for around 2-3% of births at Lewisham and Greenwich and we are looking for motivated, enthusiastic midwives to join our team and promote and develop our homebirth service in conjunction with clients to get them the birth they desire. At our Trust we provide care to a diverse population and are committed to offering choice and improving clinical outcomes as well as a better birth experience.
You will be part of a small team of midwives, where you be working within the continuity area, caring for women who have been identified as having specific needs who would benefit from continuity of care and are planning a homebirth
A Cochrane review shows that women who receive continuity of midwifery care provided through team or caseload midwifery models have better outcomes than women who receive standard care, along with improved experience, in both low and mixed risk populations, Sandall, J., et al. “Midwife-led continuity models versus other models of care for childbearing women.” (2013).
You will be part of a dedicated team of midwives caring for and being on call for women who are planning a homebirth.
The post holder will be required to provide the full remit of midwifery care, supporting women requesting a home birth within the 3 boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich and Bexley, whilst maintaining skills in all aspects of midwifery care.
You will be involved in the teaching and supervision of student midwives, student nurses and medical students as required.
The post holder may be designated to take charge of the team in the absence of the person who has continuing responsibility.
Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:
Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
Improving the experience of staff with disability
Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
Making equalities mainstream
The post holder is responsible for the assessment development, implementation and evaluation of programmes of care, both for specific groups of clients as the named care provider and in supporting the care of all clients on the ward / unit. As a qualified midwife the post holder will be required to provide the necessary supervision, care and advice to women/birthing people during pregnancy, labour and the postpartum period, to conduct deliveries under their own responsibility and care for the newborn. They should have a sound knowledge in all areas of midwifery care, which facilitates clinical practice development.
They will be required to participate in their continuing professional development and other development activities and have completed a preceptorship programme.
If working in the hospital, the post requires effective communication and an ability to provide support for the shift co-ordinator to ensure the effective running of the ward/unit in their absence.
The post holder will also provide daily clinical and managerial leadership to midwifery and support staff in the delivery of evidence based client centred care.
The teaching and supervision of student midwives, student nurses and medical students are included.
If the post holder is community based, they are expected to work in the community/ birth centre setting but can be asked to rotate between all clinical areas to cover service needs and demands at times of escalation.
The post holder will be expected to work in the hospital or community environment covering all shifts and on call commitments (Community) as required by the service

Please refer the Job description for details