Important Job Application Information
Thank you for your interest in NHS Tayside vacancies.
Please see below Job Description/Specification and General Conditions of Service.
Your Application Form must be completed in full. Please note copies of Curriculum Vitae,
Qualifications and Course Certificates will not be accepted at this stage.
Please return your completed Application Form to recruitment.tayside@nhs.net (quoting the
Post Reference Number in the subject box) or to the postal address given on the General
Conditions of Service.
All completed applications are held in Human Resources until the closing date. After the
closing date a panel will meet to prepare an interview shortlist. Once this decision has been
made, all shortlisted applicants will be emailed to invite them to attend for interview. It is
important that you check your emails regularly, including your spam/junk box.
This process takes approximately six weeks. Therefore, if you have not been contacted
regarding interview within six weeks of the closing date, your application has been
unsuccessful and you will receive no further correspondence from Human Resources.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:Find out more about living and working in Tayside at:
www.dundeecity.gov.uk
www.angus.gov.uk
www.pkc.gov.uk
NHS TAYSIDE – AGENDA FOR CHANGE
JOB DESCRIPTION
1. JOB IDENTIFICATION
Job Title
Department/Location
Number of job
holders
Midwife - Integrated Community
Midwifery Service
Maternity Unit, Perth
2. JOB PURPOSE
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The post holder will have responsibility for providing midwifery services in a range of
environments to women in Tayside.
The post holder will provide supervision, care and advice during pregnancy, childbirth
(including taking full responsibility for delivering low risk women) and the postnatal period.
The post holder will take any necessary preventative measures, be able to detect abnormal
conditions in mother and child, refer to other qualified health professionals appropriately and
undertake emergency measures in the absence of medical help.
Works autonomously as a midwife practitioner in normal pregnancies and births.
3. ORGANISATIONAL POSITION
Head of Midwifery
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Midwife Team Leader
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Midwife Integrated - Community Midwife Unit
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New Entrant Midwife
Nursery Nurse
HCA
4. SCOPE AND RANGE
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The post holder will be a member of a team of midwives, which provides midwifery care
for women who attend named GP practices - on average 150-200 women per team per
year
The post holder will participate in an on call rota for home birth and transfer of women
to the consultant unit
The post holder will be required, within the midwife unit, to provide intra-partum care
and postnatal care
The post holder will be required to participate in a home-birth service.
Service Profile: Stand alone Midwife Unit
Community Care in Perth and Kinross encompasses 3000 square miles (catchment area).
Midwives operate an integrated service in hospital and community.
Booking – 1400 women per year
Deliveries – 300+ per year (normal births)
There are no medical staff on site for the midwife unit but they are available for obstetric high
and medium risk antenatal clinics x 2 weekly, assisted by midwives.
Two midwife clinics per week on site. All other antenatal clinics run by midwives in the
community(no input from GPs).
Day Care is managed by the day care midwife with input from any of the integrated midwives
in times of need.
Referral to medical staff is available for this service.
5. MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES
CLINICAL:
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Provides and organizes antenatal care for women registered with named GP practices
including:
- Booking consultation, (comprehensive history taking, physical assessment and routine
antenatal screening), for example, Down’s Screening
- Midwife-led antenatal clinics
- Additional home visits which monitor specific aspects of pregnancy, as required
- Promotion of health and the prevention of illness e.g. breastfeeding and smoking
cessation
- Parent education – antenatal classes, or one to one with vulnerable adults, eg teenage
parents or physically, emotionally or mentally challenged pregnant women
- Support for medical staff within the Antenatal Clinic
Provides intrapartum care within the Midwife Unit and within the home setting
Is responsible for labour and birth episodes within the midwife unit and within the home as an
autonomous practitioner
Provides and participates in an on-call rota for women choosing homebirth (see Scope and
Range)
Provides postnatal care for women/babies within the midwife-led unit and following their
discharge home
Liaises with the multi-disciplinary team in such areas as Child Protection, Down’s Screening
and drug misuse
Refers directly to other disciplines as required
Initiates, develops and audits changes to clinical practice in collaboration with colleagues
Plans, implements and evaluates midwifery care during pregnancy and childbirth
Manages a caseload daily whilst working on community
Provides a daycare service to all women in all risk categories (as required)
Provides clinical skills such as perineal suturing, iv cannulation and catheterisation
Will diagnose and appropriately treat minor conditions affecting women and babies, for
example, thrush
Contributes to setting, maintaining and evaluating agreed standards of midwifery care within
the Midwife Unit and the community setting
Ensures that confidentiality and patients’ rights are safeguarded
CTG interpretation in the absence of medical staff (Cardiotocograph - fetal heart)
Assessment of patient conditions, considers a range of options of care and selects the
appropriate management, for example, referral to medical staff; treatment of minor conditions
or monitoring of blood pressure before referral.
MANAGEMENT:
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Shares responsibility, with midwifery colleagues for day to day clinical management of the
Midwife Unit
Participates in information gathering and it’s dissemination within the community team
Contributes to the development, formulation and evaluation of protocols within the clinical
group
Represents the Midwife Unit on working groups, thereby contributing to the setting,
maintenance and monitoring of standards of care
Participates in the investigation of verbal complaints
Participates in the W&RH Risk Management system
Contributes to risk management issues, eg route cause analysis, IR1
Participates in the management of sickness/absence when problems arise, in conjunction with
midwifery colleagues.
EDUCATION:
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Provides mentorship to newly qualified midwives, student midwives and medical students and
contributes to the assessment of their overall experience
Promotes reflective practice as a means of evaluating the effectiveness of midwifery care
Promotes and facilitates a research-based approach to clinical practice
Contributes to the formulation, implementation and evaluation of orientation programmes for
all new staff
Attends in-service education programmes
Attends and may participate in in-service training.
6. COMMUNICATIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS
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Has effective communication skills which ensure the provision of relevant information to women
and their partners/relatives
Conveys complex verbal and written information in a concise manner
Communicates effectively with team midwives and medical colleagues
Communicates effectively with Midwifery Team Leader and midwifery colleagues in other areas
Reports to Lead Midwife, or Consultant Obstetrician regarding complex clinical cases,
unresolved difficulties and adverse incidents
Communicates effectively with other professionals and external agencies e.g. physiotherapists,
social workers, health visitors, Stillbirth And Neonatal Death Society and Drug Problem Centre
Communicates with Dundee University regarding student midwives
Has effective communications skills which ensure an appropriate response to cases of a
sensitive nature, eg domestic abuse
Effectively provides support for women at home following pregnancy loss or other poor
outcome
Collaborates with the Professional Development Midwife and/or Consultant Midwife to identify
those elements of current midwifery research that may be relevant to the clinical group
Communicates with other relevant departments/agencies, eg supplies department, estates
department and infection control staff
Represents their department in clinical group forums, committees and meetings
Has regular meetings with medical colleagues to discuss complex cases
Attends monthly meeting to facilitate entry to low risk care
Contribute towards collaborative team working and team building.
7. KNOWLEDGE, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED TO DO THE JOB
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Registered midwife at Diploma/Degree level or with relevant experience with previous postregistration midwifery experience
Demonstrates commitment to life-long learning and ensure CPD requirements are updated.
Has a sound, current knowledge of best practice in normal childbirth
Has an ability to make sound clinical judgements and decisions in highly complex situations, for
example, failure to progress in labour
Must have sound knowledge of the interpretation of cardiotocographs and be aware of the
range of options of the management of women with a non-reassuring trace
Must have completed K2 training or be working towards completion (K2 = CTG interpretation
training
Possesses highly specialised knowledge, which underpins theory and experience to support
decision making
Has an ability to assess clinical situations quickly and to take responsibility for her own actions
Should have competence in skills such as perineal repair and IV cannulation or working
towards this
Is required to attend regular training to maintain knowledge base, eg infant feeding and
obstetric emergencies, fire lectures, CPR and manual handling
Must have knowledge of policies, protocols and guidelines in use within maternity services – in
particular Tayside Pregnancy Plan and Principles for Midwifery Practice in Low Risk
Intrapartum Care
Must have basic keyboard skills
Participates in performance and development review of some staff, eg Health Care Assistants
Must have the skills necessary to participate in induction and orientation of maternity care staff
Should have current clean driving licence
Must have effective teaching skills, eg educating parents in the use of home phototherapy or in
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how to administer medicines
Has an ability to train and teach junior midwifery and medical staff
Must have knowledge of relevant legislation, Health & Safety issues, complaints handling and
resource management
Must have knowledge of team working, team building and of maximizing the team contribution.
ESSENTIAL ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
8. SYSTEMS AND EQUIPMENT
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Will regularly access the computer to input patient data and to access laboratory results
Is required to use midwifery equipment, eg doptone for listening to fetal heartbeat,
cardiotocograph to record fetal heartbeat, sphygmomanometer, baby scales, phototherapy
equipment
Works with equipment required for home birth, eg cylinders of equanox and oxygen
Must generate documentation of all care provided in manual, and where applicable, electronic
records
Must provide information for statistical purposes on a monthly basis
Is proficient in the use of manual handling equipment
RESPONSIBILITY FOR RECORDS MANAGEMENT
All records created in the course of the business of NHS Tayside are corporate records and are
public records under the terms of the Public Records (Scotland) Act 1937. This includes email
messages and other electronic records. It is your responsibility to ensure that you keep
appropriate records of your work in NHS Tayside and manage those records in keeping with the
NHS Tayside Records Management Policy and with any guidance produced by NHS Tayside
specific to your employment.
9. PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF THE JOB
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Is required to be out in all weather and to drive in adverse conditions (often long distances)
On a daily basis (0-8 times) moves the necessary equipment from the car to the woman’s
home, eg baby weighing scales, community midwifery equipment
May work in less than optimum conditions when undertaking examinations in the woman’s
home, eg breast-feeding (0-6 times per day)
On a regular basis may be required to adopt awkward positions for prolonged periods of time
during intrapartum care.
Physical Skills (daily)
 Undertakes venepuncture and intra muscular injections
 Performs vaginal examination
 Inserts and removes of sutures (see Section 5-Clinical)
 Performs normal delivery of babies
 Performs abdominal palpation
 Performs Neonatal Resuscitation
 Undertakes immediate management of obstetric emergency
 Performs IV cannulation (see Section 5-Clinical)
Physical Demands (daily)
 Stands/walks/drives for the majority of the shift
 Performs manual handling of women and babies
 Adopts awkward positions at times, eg home births, pool births, alternative birth positions.
assisting breast feeding mums
 Is a regular car driver
Mental Demands (daily)
 Must retain and communicate complex information, eg substance misuse in pregnancy.
 Must concentrate for extended periods of time when undertaking the booking visit
(approximately 1 hour)
 Must concentrate for the entire shift when caring for one woman in labour
 Must concentrate when assessing CTG tracings and checking documents/women’s notes. Is
subject to frequent interruptions by telephone
 Must be able to work effectively within differing areas on a day to day basis; eg community
midwife unit, obstetric clinic or community
 Professional workers meetings, eg relating to Child Protection (occasionally)
Emotional Demands
 Frequently communicates with anxious/distressed women and relatives
 Communicates poor pregnancy/birth outcomes to women and their families regarding, eg
antenatal screening results, stillbirth and congenital abnormalities (occasionally)
 Cares for women following distressing emotional events
 Deals with conflict
 Frequently participates in the care of women with major social problems, eg substance misuse
Working Conditions
 Is exposed to body fluids, eg blood, liquor, faeces, urine and vomit
 Is exposed to adverse weather conditions whilst driving
 Some exposure to Equanox during labours.
10. DECISIONS AND JUDGEMENTS
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Is required to assess situations and to make decisions quickly and effectively with no medical
support on-site
Practices at all times in such a way as to ensure that clinical governance requirements are
met
Practices within a legal and ethical framework that ensures the primacy of womens’ interests
Ensures that appropriate measures are taken to safeguard the rights and the confidentiality of
women and their babies
Provides a safe environment for the treatment of women and babies by ensuring the effective
use of equipment and materials. These are used in compliance with the NHS Tayside Health
& Safety policy, including Control of Infection
Is supervised, using reflective practice, by the line manager or Supervisor of Midwives
Has responsibility for complying with Child Protection issues in accordance with NHS Tayside
Child Protection policy
Is governed by NMC Midwives Rules and Standards and national and local policies
11. MOST CHALLENGING / DIFFICULT PARTS OF THE JOB
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Works with mothers and babies in an environment which has no direct medical support
Copes with the demands of a large caseload and with an unpredictable workload whilst
supporting junior colleagues
Must assess clinical situations and be aware of the possible need to transfer or to refer
women / babies to medical care. The midwife must balance this against needlessly referring
women and/or babies
Contribute to staff rosters and staff duties in order to provide safe and effective cover
dependent on workload
Caring for women who have made choices to ignore advice re risks to pregnancy, eg home
confinements outwith entry criteria.
General Conditions of Service
POST REF NO:
D/LB/115/15
JOB TITLE/GRADE:
Part-time Registered Midwife, Band 6
LOCATION:
Perth Royal Infirmary
Conditions of Service
Remuneration
Hours of Duty
Superannuation
The terms and conditions of service for this post are those
determined by the NHS Staff Council.
The current salary scale for the post is £26,302 to £35,225 per
annum (pro rata for part-time staff). Placing on the scale on
appointment is normally at the minimum but may be higher
subject to verification of previous relevant service.
Salary is paid monthly by Bank Credit Transfer.
The hours of the post are 24 - 36 per week.
Start and finish times will be determined by the needs of the
service.
Membership of the NHS Superannuation Scheme is not
compulsory but is open to all staff between the ages of 16 and
70 (65 in some instances).
The contributions paid are a percentage of superannuable pay,
which is essentially basic pay excluding, for example, overtime
or travelling expenses.
Contribution rates with effect from 01.04.15 are as follows:
Annual Pensionable Pay
(Full-time equivalent)
Up to £15,828
£15,829 to £21,601
£21,602 to £27,089
£27,090 to £49,967
£49,968 to £71,337
£71,338 to £111,376
£111,377 and over
Annual Leave
Contribution
5.2%
5.8%
7.3%
9.5%
12.7%
13.7%
14.7%
Contributions are subject to tax relief and reduced National
Insurance contributions. NHS Tayside also makes a substantial
contribution towards scheme benefits – currently around 14% of
basic pay.
On appointment = 27 days (pro rata for part-time Staff) or 5.4
weeks per year.
After 5 years aggregated service = 29 days (pro rata for part-time
staff) or 5.8 weeks per year
After 10 years aggregated service = 33 days (pro rata for parttime staff) or 6.6 weeks per year
References
Public Holidays = 8 days (pro rata for part-time staff) or 1.6
weeks per year
All offers of appointment are subject to receipt of two satisfactory
references.
Occupational Health
Clearance
All offers of appointment to new entrants to the National Health
Service are subject to a medical examination. Medical
examinations are arranged and undertaken by the Occupational
Health and Safety Advisory Service (OHSAS).
Rehabilitation of
Offenders Act 1974
(Exclusions and
Exceptions) (Scotland)
Order 2003
All current or spent criminal convictions, cautions, warnings or
any case pending must be disclosed prior to commencing in
employment as detailed on the application form.
Disclosure Scotland
Immigration, Asylum and
Nationality Act 2006
Please note that having a conviction will not automatically debar
you from obtaining employment with NHS Tayside. Careful
consideration will be given to the relevance of the offence to the
particular post in question. However, if you are appointed, and it
is found that you did not reveal a previous conviction your
employment may be terminated.
The successful applicant will be required to become a member of
the Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme (PVG) in respect of
regulated work with protected adults and regulated work with
children.
It is a criminal offence for an employer to employ anyone who
does not have permission to live or work in the UK.
Shortlisted applicants will be asked to produce specific original
documentation at interview e.g. Passport, or full birth certificate
together with an official document giving the applicants
permanent National Insurance Number and name issued by a
Government Agency or a previous employer, as well as
photocopies of these documents.
Professional Registration/ Current and continuing professional registration with NMC and
Induction Standards &
hold the appropriate qualification(s).
Code of Conduct
Smoking Policy
NHS Tayside operates a No Smoking Policy and smoking
is prohibited within NHS premises and grounds.
Applications
Completed forms should be returned to:
recruitment.tayside@nhs.net quoting the job reference in the
subject line
or
to Human Resources Directorate, NHS Tayside, Level 9,
Ninewells Hospital, Dundee DD1 9SY
By closing date of 11 December 2015
Once this decision has been made, all shortlisted applicants
will be emailed to invite them to attend for interview. It is
important that you check your emails regularly, including your
spam/junk box.