Infant Feeding Midwife

Do you aspire to deliver the Best Possible Maternity Care every time?
That is the approach to Maternity Services at Northampton General Hospital. We have been a fully accredited Baby Friendly Hospital since 2016.

A rare and exciting opportunity has arisen for a skilled, self-motivated, experienced Band 6 Midwife to work as a member of the maternity team as an Infant Feeding Midwife.

We are looking for someone with drive and a passion for infant feeding to work within the small, friendly team. As the Infant Feeding Advisor, you will:

• Promote Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) care standards by teaching, supporting and mentoring staff to give the best possible care to babies and their parents.
• Support the work of the Infant Feeding Lead to ensure that the BFI standards continue to be implemented across the service, preparing for any future accreditation visits and for our ambitions of achieving BFI Gold accreditation.

We need someone who is motivated, flexible, positive about breastfeeding and who is keen to further develop their knowledge and skills in infant feeding and the BFI process. In time you will be able to work both independently and as part of the team using your excellent clinical, interpersonal and organisational skills to work with the infant feeding lead to:

• Support new staff and midwifery students to develop their clinical skills in infant feeding using an evidence-based approach in line with BFI care standards.
• Run training sessions for a range of maternity staff and to the multi-disciplinary team.
• Carry out practical skills reviews in infant feeding.
• Work with staff individually and in groups to build their skills to provide a high level of care in infant feeding.
• Participate in the provision of breastfeeding workshops for expectant parents.
• Support staff to develop care plans with complex clinical cases.
• Carry out regular audits to monitor our compliance with BFI standards of care and report the findings.
• Use these audit results and current evidence to help shape training for staff and resources for parents.
• Assist in the writing and implementation of guidelines and initiatives relevant to infant feeding.
• Support parents in the infant feeding clinic with more complex situations.
• Deputise in meetings at local and regional level as required.

Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust is one of the largest employers in the area and we are on an exciting journey. All our divisions are committed to doing things better, with more efficiency as we update, modernise, and advance. We have also entered a Group Model with neighbouring Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and become University Hospitals of Northamptonshire.

Our Excellence Values

• Compassion
• Accountability
• Respect
• Integrity
• Courage

We want to recruit the best people to deliver our services across the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire and help to unleash everyone's full potential. The Hospital Group encourages applications from people who identify from all protected groups. We understand that we need to work with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and make sure the environment they work in is inclusive and collaborative.

We recognise the valuable contribution that the Armed Forces community make to our organisation. We have signed the Armed Forces Covenant and achieved Silver Award under the Armed Forces Employer Recognition Scheme.

We have active Networks that promote and support colleagues from all backgrounds. This ensures everyone feels supported and has a sense of belonging working for Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals.

Organisational and Management Responsibilities

• Effectively manage own time to ensure a balance between audit, clinical and administrative duties.
• Promote and maintain a departmental culture which promotes an open and honest approach to professional decision making and problem solving.
• Promote and maintain organisational and professional standards.
• Actively participate in infant feeding meetings within the maternity services.
• Demonstrate and promote excellent interpersonal skills, written, verbal and nonverbal communication styles.
• Influence and nurture positive attitudes and behaviours within the teams and wider multidisciplinary team.

Clinical Role

• Undertake relevant clinical practices in accordance with the Scope of Professional Practice.
• Act as a source of expert clinical and professional advice on infant feeding.
• Undertake Clinical Audit within area of specialty.
• Working with the Infant Feeding Lead, implement initiatives to improve the breastfeeding initiation and maintenance rates by supporting midwives, assistant practitioners and maternity support workers in the clinical area.
• Provide support and act as a resource to staff who are assisting new mothers on the postnatal wards with infant feeding ensuring compliance with the DoH and Baby Friendly Initiative.
• Participate in the development of relevant care pathways and guidelines within the maternity service.
• Take all possible action to minimise clinical risk to women and their babies, utilising all available resources.