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Patient Safety and Quality Specialist Midwife

On-site in Darlington·Part-time·Added today (last checked 9 Nov)

County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

30 open roles

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Our summary

Salary: £49,387 - £56,515 a year
About £3,260 - £3,610 a month after tax.
Work mode: On-site, Darlington
Contract: Part-time
Closing date: Apply by Wednesday 18 November

Skills

The role

Job summary

This advert is only open to applicants who are currently employed by County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust.

The Patient Safety and Quality Midwife is a key leadership role within Maternity Services, responsible for supporting the delivery of safe, effective and high-quality care for women, babies and families. The post holder will lead on maternity patient safety, incident management, investigations, risk management, learning from events, and quality improvement initiatives. Working closely with multidisciplinary teams, they will coordinate patient safety investigations, monitor clinical risks, support governance processes, contribute to guideline development, and ensure learning is embedded into practice. The role combines clinical expertise with leadership, education and service improvement to promote a positive safety culture and support compliance with local and national maternity safety standards. The post includes a clinical component to maintain professional expertise and credibility within practice. Based on the Trust's maternity patient safety agenda, the role will help drive continuous improvement and improve outcomes for women, babies and staff.

Main duties of the job

The Patient Safety and Quality Midwife will lead and support the maternity patient safety, governance and quality improvement agenda across the Trust. The post holder will coordinate and investigate clinical incidents, undertake patient safety investigations and identify trends and themes from incidents, and ensure learning is shared and embedded into practice to improve outcomes for women and babies. They will provide expert advice on risk management, support the maintenance of the maternity risk register, contribute to clinical governance processes, and produce reports for Trust committees and maternity governance meetings. The role includes supporting the development and implementation of clinical guidelines, responding to national safety recommendations and alerts, delivering education and training on patient safety and risk management, and working collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams to drive continuous service improvement. The post holder will also liaise with legal services regarding claims and inquests, support staff through investigations, and maintain a clinical presence within maternity services to ensure credibility and understanding of current practice. Through visible leadership, the role will promote a positive safety culture, encourage learning, and support the delivery of safe, effective and compassionate maternity care.

About us

If you are being interviewed you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager.

You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks.

We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes.

We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented.

Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents.

Over reliance on AI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances of success.

For the most up-to-date information on visa requirements and eligibility, please check online to determine whether you can apply.

Please note that we may close any vacancy early once a sufficient number of applications have been received.

Job description

Job responsibilities

The Patient Safety and Quality Midwife plays a pivotal role in ensuring the delivery of safe, effective and high-quality maternity care across the organisation. The post holder will provide professional leadership for patient safety, risk management, governance and quality improvement activities within Maternity Services. The role involves leading and supporting investigations of clinical incidents, complaints, claims and patient safety events, ensuring that investigations are thorough, learning is identified and improvements are implemented and sustained.

Working closely with multidisciplinary teams, the post holder will analyse patient safety data, identify trends and emerging risks, contribute to the development of action plans, and monitor compliance with local and national safety standards. They will support the maintenance of the maternity risk register, prepare reports for governance and assurance groups, contribute to service reviews, and assist with external inspections, quality assessments and accreditation requirements.

A key aspect of the role is promoting a culture of learning, openness and continuous improvement. The post holder will provide expert advice and support to clinical teams, deliver education and training relating to patient safety and quality, and work collaboratively with staff to improve clinical practice and patient outcomes. They will contribute to the development and review of clinical policies, guidelines and pathways to ensure care remains evidence-based and aligned with national recommendations.

The role also includes liaison with families, external agencies, commissioners and regulatory bodies where required, ensuring that concerns are managed sensitively and professionally. The post holder will maintain clinical credibility through clinical practice and visible leadership within maternity services, supporting staff and fostering a positive safety culture that places women, babies and families at the centre of care.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced midwife with a passion for patient safety, governance and service improvement to influence strategic and operational developments and make a significant contribution to improving maternity outcomes.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

Significant experience post registration
Experience of managing and leading a team
Current issues on healthcare
Experience of leading, motivation and supporting a team
Experience of providing training
Excellent presentation skills
Experience of delegating workload and monitoring progress
Evidence of managerial development
Clinical audit and standard setting
Experience of managing resources
Service development and/or change management
Experience of training staff

Desirable

Service development and/or change management

Special Requirements

Essential

Ability to travel between sites independently

Desirable

Full UK Driving licence and access to a car.

Qualifications

Essential

Registered Midwife with current NMC registration.
Evidence of continuing professional development.

Desirable

Recognised management/leadership qualification masters degree or working towards

Statutory Registration

Essential

Registered Midwife

Special Skills & Knowledge

Essential

Knowledge of the standards of professional practice
Knowledge and understanding of relevant National Services Frameworks
Knowledge of Trust guidelines and policies
Knowledge of care pathways for women with complex health needs
Awareness of current issues in midwifery
Capable of lateral thinking
Influencing and negotiation
Skills in identifying and securing provision of training needs for the team
Highly developed communication skills, written and verbal
Delegation abilities and excellent time management skills
Listening/counselling skills
Well-developed problem solving and decision-making skills
Flexibility/adaptability to meet the needs of the service
Self-awareness
Possess individual credibility
Approachable
Has strategic vision and demonstrates innovation in practice
Ability to work under pressure, thinking and acting coherently and with respect for others
Manage and identify stress in self and others
Excellent written and verbal skills
Ability to organise and prioritise own and other workloads
Understanding of skills and knowledge required to lead and develop team members
Resource management
Ability to take the lead in the promotion of evidence-based practice
Excellent IT skills, including Word, Excel, Power-point, and Outlook

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).