Professional Midwifery Advocate

Job summary
As part of our commitment to supporting staff and strengthening maternity services ahead of the Independent Maternity Review, we are establishing a new Professional Midwifery Advocate (PMA) Team across University Hospitals Sussex.

We are recruiting PMAs across UHSussex, with one post aligned to each site: Princess Royal Hospital (PRH), Royal Sussex County Hospital (RSCH), Worthing Hospital (WH) and St Richard's Hospital (SRH).

Each PMA will have a designated site base while working collaboratively across the Trust under the leadership of the Professional Perinatal Advocate (PPA) Lead, delivering a consistent restorative approach across maternity and neonatal services.

These newly created roles will provide visible support in clinical areas through restorative conversations, hot debriefs, real-time support and compassionate leadership, helping colleagues navigate a period of learning, transformation and cultural development.

Successful candidates will strengthen Professional Midwifery Advocacy through case management, professional development, training and embedding best practice within the A-EQUIP framework.

The PMA team will help ensure accessible advocacy support, promoting staff wellbeing, learning, service improvement and a resilient workforce.

These three-year fixed-term opportunities offer experienced PMAs the chance to develop their leadership, quality improvement, workforce development and strategic influence.

Participation in the Manager on Call rota is required.

Main duties of the job

• Delivering and facilitating Restorative Clinical Supervision
• Supporting colleagues through complex cases, incidents, Coroner's inquests and high-profile reviews
• Providing visible clinical support and restorative leadership within clinical areas
• Supporting trainee PMAs and newly qualified PMAs
• Developing and strengthening the Trust-wide PMA/PNA network
• Leading and contributing to Quality Improvement initiatives
• Supporting workforce wellbeing, retention and engagement
• Collecting evidence and demonstrating the impact and value of Professional Midwifery Advocacy across the organisation
• Promoting a restorative culture that extends across maternity, neonatal, medical and support worker teams

About us
At UHSussex, diversity is our strength, and we want you to feel included to help us always deliver Excellent Care Everywhere, as shown in our Outstanding for Caring CQC rating. Your uniqueness and experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of staff networks to help break down barriers, and can offer a buddy to help new members settle in. We're proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 3) and a Veteran Aware Trust.

Candidate Pack

Job responsibilities
This is an exciting opportunity to influence the future direction of Professional Midwifery Advocacy within University Hospitals Sussex. The successful candidates will help demonstrate the value of professional midwifery advocacy roles, ensuring advocacy remains at the heart of workforce wellbeing, learning and service improvement.

As a three-year fixed-term opportunity, these posts provide an excellent platform for career development, allowing experienced PMAs to broaden their leadership, quality improvement, workforce development and strategic influence while enhancing their professional portfolio.

Applicants must hold the Professional Midwifery Advocate qualification and demonstrate a commitment to the A-EQUIP model, restorative clinical supervision and compassionate leadership.

If you are passionate about supporting colleagues, driving positive cultural change and helping create the conditions for staff and families to thrive, we would love to hear from you.

Join us and help shape a restorative, compassionate and sustainable future for maternity and neonatal services across University Hospitals Sussex.

Internal applicants should note that this opportunity will be offered on a secondment basis. Before applying, internal colleagues must discuss the opportunity with their current line manager to confirm whether they can be released from their substantive role if successful. Release to undertake a secondment is not automatic and must be agreed between the colleague, their current line manager, and the recruiting line manager

Person Specification
Essential

• Registered Midwife with active NMC PIN
• Professional Midwifery Advocate
• Significant post reg experience in range of clinical settings/roles
• Recent experience of working in Perinatal Services
• Knowledge of Trauma Informed Care approaches
• Understanding of professional and current issues in maternity and neonatal services

Desirable

• De-briefing/Coaching/Restorative training or equivalent experience
• Leadership/Management training or equivalent experience
• Experience of Quality Improvement

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

• Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equalities issues
• Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles (as appropriate to role)

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).