This is a key, system-wide role in developing and maintaining high standards of care for women with specific mental health proble.....
This is a key, system-wide role in developing and maintaining high standards of care for women with specific mental health problems in pregnancy and the postnatal period, and their families. You will have a high level of relevant expert knowledge and skills, which you will use to manage, develop and care for pregnant and new mothers with complex mental health needs, in particular tokophobia, birth-related and complex trauma, perinatal loss and removals, working alongside specialist perinatal psychologists and other health professionals. You will be responsible for providing extra support and care to a defined group of women, in partnership with their own midwife and the MMHS team. You will work closely with women and their families to plan and coordinate their care based on their individual needs. You will provide a link between the maternity service and other services involved in mental health care for women, including the local primary care therapy service (IAPT) and perinatal mental health team. You will ensure that relevant pathways, policies and processes for women with, or at risk of, mental illness are implemented and fully participate in the audit process. This will involve working with a range of relevant professionals, services and agencies. You will support your colleagues through coordinating and providing training and guidance in maternal mental health for key maternity staff, to enable them to provide holistic care that optimises mental as well as physical health. You will be an innovative practitioner and an effective change agent, promoting evidence based practice DIMENSIONS Hosted by Worcestershire Acute Hopsital NHS Trust and working from the Maternall Mental health team base. Key working relationships with maternity services, bereavement services, the safeguarding team and all mental health services across Herefordshire & Worcestershire. The maternal mental health midwife will be part of the maternity multi-disciplinary team and offer support in providing expert knowledge supporting both staff, and women who have mental health issues and co-ordinating care planning. RISK ASSESSMENT This post involves manual handling activities and exposure to body fluids and chemicals. May involve some VDU work and individuals may be exposed to violence and aggression. KEY RELATIONSHIPS Clinical Director Directorate Management Team Director of Midwifery Maternal Mental Health Team Professional Midwifery Advocates Senior Midwives within the Trust Consultants and Medical Staff Perinatal Mental Health Team Psychiatry team, IAPT,GPs,Health Visitors Team Leaders Patient Services Team Women and their families Local Clinical Commissioning Groups Outside Agencies Social Care Maternity Voices Partnership. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Professional/Clinical Leadership Support, assist and advise women with , or at risk of, maternal mental illness and their families to supplement the care provided by their midwives where necessary, for example working with women and their midwives to develop individual care plans, and making referrals to additional specialist support where required. Act as an advocate for women to ensure they get the specialist mental health care they need. Undertake some aspects of psychologically informed interventions such as mindfulness, cognitive behavioural work and exposure work under the supervision of a qualified psychologist. Liaise with mental health services, and other services and partner agencies to ensure that women with severe mental illness are receiving active and effective care. Provide care in a variety of settings, such as home, childrens centres or other community settings working independently or in collaboration with clinical psychologists or other care providers. Liaise with other services to improve service provision for women with mental illness and their families, and promote integration of services. Ensure that midwives are aware of care pathways for women with mental illness relating to trauma, tokophobia and perinatal loss and deliver their contribution to these, including the provision of information and support, and the prediction and detection of mental illness. Act as a resource for all staff involved in maternity care (including obstetricians, midwives, student midwives and maternity support workers). Provide evidence-based advice, support and information with regards to the appropriate management and referral of women with mental health problems and their families. Develop and coordinate training programmes for staff, and participate in the induction of new staff. Participate in training of midwives, obstetricians, health visitors, GPs and other agencies as required. Attend pre-birth meetings, whether these are led by obstetricians and midwives or social care, in order to support colleagues in providing reports, and to help formulate a birth plan and a family support /child protection plan. Provide a visible, accessible and authoritative presence, acting as a professional role model by providing leadership and support within multidisciplinary and midwife teams. Work with colleagues to ensure the there is routine screening and early identification of women with, or at risk of a mental illness. Work with colleagues to ensure that women and their families receive appropriate information about mental health and illness in a sensitive way. Ensure that all polices and guidelines relating to women with perinatal mental illness are evidence based and appropriate, and that they are adhered to. Support and assure that implementation of guidelines by statutory and professional bodies as they relate to mental illness. Collate, analyse and report on information about the quality of service provided to women with mental illness. Use research to support evidence-based practice and shape the strategic direction of support for women with mental illness and their families. Identify areas for research, audit and development relevant to mental health. Initiate and participate in research and clinical audit programmes, and encourage other midwives to do the same. Provide a link between midwives, GPs health visitors, obstetricians, specialist mental health services and other agencies in relation to the care of pregnant women and new mothers with mental health problems Develop comprehensive care pathways for women and families in active collaboration with the maternal mental health team and other providers of mental health services (e.g GPs, Health visitors). Be actively involved with relevant hospital and community mental health teams. This includes attending team meeting and planning meeting where appropriate. Acts as an effective role model and sets and maintains high standards midwifery care, reflecting evidence based practice in self and team members, encouraging team members to challenge their current competencies, whilst seeking opportunities for development. Identifies areas for service improvement and ensures that systems are promoted that encourage the team to offer suggestions of how the service can be improved. Supplies and administers medication as appropriate and on own authority according to Midwifery Rules and Standards (2004). Adheres to Trust policy and treatment within the Procedures for Ordering Prescribing and Administration of Medication guidelines. Responsible for analysing and reporting on adverse clinical and non clinical incidents ensuring safety of mothers, babies and staff under the Health an Safety Act (1974). Make an effective contribution to the implementation of an effective risk assessment process, ensuring high risk area are identified and incorporated into the local risk register. Deal with complaints in a calm and courteous manner, ensuring that wherever possible complaints are dealt with efficiently and satisfactorily and resolved in the local clinical area. Supports and assists the Operational Manager with patient and public involvement, complaints investigations, responses and implementation of service changes as necessary Develops systems which focus on equity and diversity within the service and take into consideration and respect different ethnic, cultural and religious beliefs within all aspects of care. Please see full Job Description for further details.