Job overview

This is an exciting opportunity to join our team as an experienced midwife. We are looking for someone  who is passionate about supporting others, developing the future workforce and creating an environment where newly qualified midwives feel valued, supported and inspired to build their careers within our service.

The transition from student midwife to autonomous practitioner is one of the most rewarding yet challenging periods in a midwife's career. We are committed to ensuring our newly qualified midwives receive the support, guidance and encouragement they need to develop confidence, consolidate clinical skills and achieve their full potential.

As a Clinical Educator Support Midwife, you will play a key role in supporting Band 5 midwives throughout their first year of practice. Working alongside newly qualified colleagues across maternity services, you will provide clinical, professional and pastoral support that helps them navigate the challenges of early practice and build confidence in their role.

This is a highly visible role working across all areas of maternity services and is a 12 month fixed term contract being advertised across internal and external platforms. 

Working for our organisation

As one of the largest acute teaching Trusts in England, we offer learning and development opportunities to help you achieve the career you aspire to. UHS is rated ‘Good’ by the CQC and in the latest national NHS Staff Survey, we were in the top 10 acute trusts for staff engagement and for staff recommending the hospital as a place to work or receive care. 

 We support flexible working and will consider requests taking into account the needs of the service. UHS employees are able to access a range of NHS discounts, are entitled to a minimum of 35 days paid holiday (pro rata), and we offer a generous pension scheme.

 Southampton is an attractive place to live and work situated on the south coast, with an international airport and direct trains to London. The New Forest National Park and beaches of the Jurassic coast are also right on our doorstep. The city offers living costs 30% lower than London and 17 schools rated outstanding by Ofsted.

 We believe that using technology wisely shows strong time management and commitment to innovation. However, personalising your recruitment application to highlight your unique skills and experiences is crucial. Relying too heavily on generic, AI-generated content instead of drawing from your own strengths and accomplishments may lead to your application being rejected if multiple candidates present identical or similar information.

You will provide personalised support to newly qualified midwives throughout their first year of practice, helping them translate knowledge into confident clinical decision-making whilst developing the skills, resilience and professional identity required for a successful midwifery career.

Working closely with the Practice Education Team, Professional Midwifery Advocates, Matrons, Ward Leaders and Preceptors, you will help ensure every newly qualified midwife receives a positive, supportive and developmental experience.

The role combines clinical support, pastoral care, professional development and workforce retention, helping to create a culture where newly qualified midwives can thrive.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

In this role, your key responsibilities will include:

1.    Ensuring that midwives provide a high standard of practice based on current guidelines, policies, protocols and standards and are involved in the development and review of these.

2.    Actively supporting junior staff and students and be a resource for research-based information on midwifery practice.

3.    Assisting the Midwifery leadership team in building a dynamic workforce, contributing new and practical ideas to improve efficiency and make effective use of resources.

4.    Maintaining effective working relationships with all staff including medical staff, general practitioners, health visitors, independent midwives and staff from other Trusts.

5.    Promoting a positive ‘team spirit’ across all areas of the midwifery service.

The successful candidate will be:

•    An excellent communicator who can adapt their communication skills according to the audience.

•    Flexible, adaptable and able to work flexible hours and fulfil service requirements including on-call commitments.

•    Able to demonstrate relevant and recent clinical experience or with the ability to demonstrate significant experience in midwifery practice and responsibility for managing a clinical team.

•    A positive role model with a good level of self-awareness and personal resilience. 

•    Able to demonstrate behaviours that meet the Trust Values.

For an overview of the position, please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification document. This includes a detailed breakdown of the key responsibilities, role expectations, and the qualifications we are looking for.