Community maternity support worker
The primary role of the Maternity Support Worker (MSW) is to assist, support and work in collaboration with the midwife and the wider multidisciplinary team; in order to provide a safe and holistic approach to women centred care.
The midwife is ultimately responsible for the care of the mother and her new-born(s), and it is under the direct or indirect supervision of the midwife that the MSW assists with and provides clinical care following completion of any relevant or appropriate training. The post is rotational and the employee will be provided with appropriate training for the clinical setting in which they are working. These settings include antenatal inpatient or outpatient care, intrapartum inpatient care and postnatal inpatient and outpatient care.
The post holder is expected to undertake a set of defined competencies. Support will be given to employees to further develop their skills and explore pathways for progression where appropriate. This job description is directly linked to The Maternity Support worker Competency, Education and career Development Framework set out by Health Education England (HEE) https://www.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/maternity/maternity-support-workers . This may be particularly relevant to employees who are looking to progress and prepare for entry into a programme of further study or development.
Demonstrate understanding of the importance of working in partnership with women and their families. Develops and maintains positive relationships, supports informed decision makers and respects the woman’s and her families’ wishes, with particular attention to when the family unit is separated, or mom/baby is critically ill.
Understand the MSW’s scope of practice and the importance of the role within national framework to enable working within limits of own competence and authority, escalating to the MDT to inform care planning in line with national and local guidance to avoid harm.
Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust is an integrated Trust and the only provider of NHS acute care in Walsall, serving a population of 286,700, providing inpatient and outpatient services at the Manor Hospital as well as a wide range of services in the community. Walsall Manor Hospital houses the full range of district general hospital services under one roof. The £170 million development of our Pleck Road site was completed in 2010 and the continued upgrading of existing areas ensures the Trust now has a state-of-the-art Critical Care Unit, Neonatal Unit, Obstetric Theatre, and Integrated Assessment Unit facilities. Work is also well underway on its multi-million pound new Urgent and Emergency Care Centre which will house a new Emergency Department (including Children’s Emergency Department), co-located Paediatric Assessment Unit, Acute Medical Unit and Urgent Care Centre. This is scheduled for completion this year.
We provide high quality, friendly and effective community health services from some 60 sites including Health Centres and GP surgeries. Covering Walsall and beyond, our multidisciplinary services include rapid response in the community and home-based care, so that those with long-term conditions and the frail and elderly, can remain in their own homes to be cared for wherever appropriate.
Administrative Duties
Ensure that all clinical documentation written or electronic is accurately and confidentially collected, updated, stored and filed in accordance with local information governance and record keeping policy and guidance.
Provide administrative support to the maternity team, both in the hospital and community settings.
Participate in tracking, obtaining, and filing clinical records as required in line with local policy and guidance.
Professional Attitudes and responsibilities
Convey an approachable and professional manner to all mothers and their families and demonstrates an awareness of discriminatory attitudes and challenges this behavior to promote equality. This will appreciate protected characteristics and recognize how to support these people from these groups. This includes: age, disability, gender reassignment, Marriage and civil partnership, race, religion or belief, Sex and Sexual orientation (Equality Act 2010)
Ensure that knowledge of local safeguarding policy and procedure is maintained.
To be vigilant of Child Protection issues and refer issues of concern in a timely manner to registered midwife complying with legal requirements.
Training Responsibilities
Attend all statutory and mandatory training as and when required.
Identify own training and development needs and undertake appropriate training/education as required to ensure a contemporaneous knowledge base and skill set is maintained.
Participate in annual individual performance review process, whereby objectives will be agreed, performance monitored, and personal development needs discussed.
To act as a role model and participate in training for their colleagues and peers, recognising the impact of personal behavior on the culture and performance of the department, and the experience of service users.
Safe Environment
Be conversant with the local infection control policy, whilst ensuring mandates are always adhered to.
Act responsibly in respect of colleague’s health, safety and welfare following safety at work practices including lone working, whilst working in compliance with local health and safety policy and guidance.
Ensure the cleanliness of equipment in all clinical and non-clinical areas and assist the midwife in appropriately preparing the birthing environment.
Ensure adequate stock levels are maintained in all clinical settings, and equipment is available; escalate any depletion of stock or resources in a timely manner.
Assist in stocking up and cleaning all home birth team equipment if required.
Ensure the working order of equipment, reporting any concerns, faults or breakages to the appropriate person in a timely manner.
Report any incidents or concerns using the local risk management reporting system and escalate such concerns or incidents appropriately and in a timely manner.
Participate in the audit of standards within the unit if appropriate.
Care of the Woman
Manage own time and caseload effectively whilst prioritising care needs for women and their babies under care under the direction and supervision of the midwife in antenatal, postnatal clinics, community hubs or home settings to ensure if appropriate the principles of continuity of carer are applied.
Escort women and their families between clinical areas as required
Assist with the admission, orientation and discharge of women and their babies in accordance with local policy and guidance.
Communicate effectively and clarifies understanding with women and their families in all settings and is able to select appropriate methods to communicate when a disability or complexity may exist.
Understand and gains valid consent prior to action or providing care.
Undertake baseline/routine observations and measurements (and escalate any deviation from the normal range) to the named midwife or appropriate member of the multi-professional team.
Support women during clinical procedures and act as chaperone when requested to do so by the midwifery or obstetric team.
Provide support to labouring women if asked to do so, and under the supervision of the midwife, this may include application of TENS machine or teaching breathing and Massage techniques.
Perform venepuncture or capillary blood sampling in line with national standards and local policy and guidance following completion of the appropriate competencies
Assist in the maintenance and understand the principles of good bladder care, removal of catheter and disposal of equipment following infection control policy and to document accurately the fluid balance.
Assist in the nutrition and hydration needs of women.
Assist women with mobilisation following surgical procedures and remove of dressings or cannula under direction of the midwife.
Assist with the transportation of blood products if asked to do so and have an awareness of the storage requirements.
Obstetric and Neonatal Emergencies
Assist /act as a runner in obstetric theatres including:
To support and assist the midwife in the woman’s preparation for transfer to theatre
To document times and personnel present in theatre records for each procedure
To undertake WHO checklist
To Count swabs and needles in instrumental/operative delivery
Recognises and acts upon within own parameters of competence any abnormal events or emergencies, escalating to the multidisciplinary team through the appropriate means, in a timely manner.
Assist the Midwife with neonatal resuscitation where required, this may include collecting and/or passing equipment
Health Promotion and Screening
Maintains a contemporary knowledge base about local and national antenatal and newborn screening services and signposts women and their families to appropriately qualified practitioners if they are undecided or have concerns.
Has an understanding and can advise families about newborn blood spot screening, immunisations and can produce GROW Charts following successful completion of the appropriate competencies.
Recognises and promotes the principles of behavior changes required in health promotion activities including diet, food hygiene, exercise, personal hygiene and smoking cessation. (For example, assess CO levels and signposting to local service appropriately as per policy guidance).
To complete the relevant documentation for screening test performed in the maternity records.
To recognise any deterioration in mental and emotional wellbeing and respond appropriately, escalating to midwife to enable an appropriate care pathway.
To be aware of and understand the current policy and service frameworks for mental health (e.g. Capacity Act, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and Mental Health Act).
To be aware of perinatal mental health issues and the appropriate referral pathway and to escalate to multi-disciplinary team and concerns noted within home or hospital setting.
Infant Feeding
Be aware of the main constituents of human milk and their function, including Colostrum and Mature breastmilk
Appreciate the importance and the role of human milk and breastfeeding to improve the health and wellbeing outcomes for infants, their mothers and the wider family and in promoting and protecting public health.
Understand the functional anatomy and physiology of lactation and hormonal influences on milk production and mothering. Aswell as the role of the Feedback Inhibitor of Lactation (FIL)
Be able to describe the key practices that facilitate the initiation and have the knowledge and skills to support maintenance of breastfeeding
Understand and have an overview of circumstances which can affect lactation and breastfeeding and be able to support mothers to overcome common challenges and make appropriate referrals when necessary (e.g
midwife/health visitor/infant feeding lead)
Be able to support parents who formula feed to do so responsively and as safely as possible including minimising the risks, to make up feeds as safely as possible, how to sterilise equipment, how to hold a baby and pace the feeds.
Importance of skin-to-skin contact to support infant feeding and how to facilitate this within practice promoting responsive feeding to feeding cues
Understanding principles and mechanisms of attachment and positioning for effective feeding in line with BFI standards
Understands how to protect breastfeeding should supplementation be required
Expression and storage of breastmilk to include hand and pump expression technique and the use of cup feeding
Develop an understanding of the importance of secure mother-infant attachment and the impact this has on health and emotional wellbeing, irrespective of feeding method
Understand the importance of the WHO International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and subsequent WHA Resolutions (the Code) and how it impacts on practice.
Care of the Newborn
Undertake neonatal observations under direct and indirect supervision and escalate any deviations from the normal range appropriately and in a timely manner, following the completion of competency practical and theoretical training.
Observe the overall wellbeing of the newborn and escalate any concerns to named midwife or multi-professional team in a timely manner.
Provide practical support and transition to parenthood for new parents when caring for their newborn, whilst promoting safety, bonding and teaching parenting skills in both the hospital and home settings.
To assist or perform neonatal blood sampling including tests such as newborn blood spot and Serum bilirubin ratio (SBR) test, following successful completion of appropriate competency as directed by the midwife.
