Labour Ward Manager / Coordinator

at  Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

We are looking for a dynamic experienced Midwife to join our Band 7 team of Labour Ward senior Midwives at University Hospital Lewisham site.
Working at UHL, you will have a split post where you will be co-ordinating the day to day running of our consultant led unit for 22.5 hours a week and working the remaining 15 hours as ward manager. You will be a motivated, organised and enthusiastic midwife, with excellent communication and leadership skills and these will be used in order to facilitate safe, high quality care for women and their families and providing leadership for the busy, acute labour ward.
Your extensive clinical skills will be further adapted /utilised to support colleagues and students in their provision of safe effective care and in aiding them to develop their skills.
Working closely with the Labour Ward Matron and your ward manager counterpart you will ensure the safe and efficient running of the maternity unit. Your line management role will include regular appraisals, attend regular meetings that relate to the role, managing sickness and absence and encouraging personal and professional development of those you line manage.
You will be skilled in decision making and managing conflict and have a passion to lead the ward through change that will enhance and improve care for clients and their families.
You will work closely with the Obstetric, Anaesthetic and Specialist Midwifery teams ensuring safety and enhancing women/birthing people’s experience.
You will be able to diffuse difficult situations between both staff and patients, enabling a positive outcome for all involved.
You will be responsible for the management of resources, audit and quality monitoring, data collection, clinical leadership and deployment of staff.
You will endeavour to create an environment where the patient is central to all decision making and the delivery of high quality, safe and compassionate care which remains the primary objective.
You will be an expert resource to the multi-disciplinary team, ensuring that all staff work in a professional manner and all registered staff are working as accountable practitioners.
You will be expected to demonstrate effective clinical leadership and role modelling, be able to inspire, motivate and empower others. This will require you to be highly visible and have an accessible approach to women, their families and staff. There is also an expectation that you will fully participate in the clinical and professional leadership of the department.
As ward manager, y ou will be responsible for the daily running of the labour ward, ensuring that resources are available to enable the smooth running of the ward, including staff off duty, stores and environmental maintenance.
Computer literacy is essential as you will be responsible for writing/amending guidelines, reports, complaint responses and regular ward audits. You will also be expected to write staff rotas and be part of the management on call system.
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
Provide leadership to midwifery and non-midwifery staff, ensuring effective management of the daily activity and flow within the maternity service. This will result in high standards of midwifery care, reduction in length of stay and will be responsive to individualised needs, thus increasing women and birthing people satisfaction.
You will be visible within the unit for staff and, by having a helicopter view of the unit be clinically aware of the needs of the service whilst ensuring staffing is deployed to ensure all areas are sufficiently covered to provide a high standard of care to women / birthing people.
You will have an overview of staff and staffing needs and liaise with the rota coordinator to ensure the unit complies with safe staffing requirements.
With the rota coordinator, you will ensure rotas are maintained and accurately reflect the availability of staff.
The Delivery suite Manage focuses on the delivery of high quality, safe and effective care focused on improving outcomes and experiences for patients, families and carers. This role also holds delegated responsibility for the maternity triage department. This will include:
Being the key contact member for the multidisciplinary team
Provide professional leadership and line management for a team of midwifery and support staff;
Delegate work and supervise colleagues accordingly;
Assess patients, plan, implement and evaluate evidence based care;
Provide expert clinical advice;
Ensure patient pathways are optimally managed;
Manage budgets and resources efficiently and effectively;
Be responsible for the safety of the clinical environment;
Champion a culture of learning and quality improvement in the clinical area.
Ensure his/her group of patients have a managed pathway and beds in the ward are optimally utilised, seeking expert support if required.
This is a senior midwifery role within the organisation and there is an expectation that the post-holder will fully participate in the clinical and professional leadership of the department

Please refer the Job description for details