About this role
Job summary
Working Full time: 37.5 hours per week
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and motivated Midwifery Practice Education Facilitator (PEF) to join the Maternity Services team at Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
The Midwifery PEF plays a pivotal role in supporting the development of a highly skilled, competent and confident maternity workforce. Working closely with the Head of Midwifery, Matron, PDM, Higher Education Institutions and student midwives, the successful candidate will lead on the provision of high-quality practice learning environments and support the delivery of education, training and workforce development across maternity services.
This is an ideal opportunity for an experienced midwife with a passion for education, quality improvement and staff development. The post holder will provide expert support to student midwives, preceptors, practice supervisors and practice assessors, ensuring compliance with NMC Standards for Student Supervision and Assessment (SSSA) and contributing to the delivery of safe, kind and effective care.
The successful candidate will demonstrate excellent leadership, communication and organisational skills, alongside a commitment to continuous improvement and workforce development. They will work collaboratively across maternity services and with external partners to promote excellence in practice learning and support the future midwifery workforce
Main duties of the job Lead the development, coordination and evaluation of high-quality practice learning environments across maternity services. Support student midwives, preceptees, practice supervisors and practice assessors to achieve positive learning outcomes and maintain safe clinical practice. Ensure compliance with NMC Standards for Student Supervision and Assessment (SSSA).Coordinate and quality assure student placements, acting as a key liaison between maternity services and Higher Education Institutions. Lead and participate in educational audits, quality monitoring visits and action planning processes. Maintain oversight of student feedback, concerns and learning environment issues, ensuring timely resolution and escalation where required. Monitor placement capacity and educational quality indicators, identifying risks and implementing improvement actions. Support the development and implementation of competency frameworks, preceptorship programmes and professional development initiatives. Maintain accurate records relating to mentor, supervisor and assessor preparation, educational activity and quality assurance processes. Produce reports and assurance information for maternity governance and education meetings. Work collaboratively with regional education networks, universities and external stakeholders to share best practice and promote innovation in maternity education.
About us The Trust's services are provided from three locations: o The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 473 general and acute beds. o Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 60 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility. o Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population. The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust employs 5,964 staff (headcount) to provide care and treatment to a population of over 400,000 people living in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire. The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System. Due to its location on the border with North Wales, the Trust also works closely with the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The Trust treats patients from England and some parts of Wales. During 2024/2025, there were approximately 643,000 patient attendances (inpatient, A&E, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery
Job description Job responsibilities
See Job Description for further details.
Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values. An applicant guide to help and support you through your recruitment journey can be accessed at the bottom of this page.
If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the essential criteria described in the person specification for an available position, please answer YES to the question: Do you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?
Please inform the team if you have any special support needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection processes.
The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.
If a DBS is required for your role, you are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee applies which is payable to the DBS Service.Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costswill be deducted from their salary over the first three months of employment.
New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.
Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.
The Trust will not sponsor where the starting salary does not meet immigration rules
Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.
Good luck with your application.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Professional qualification, to a minimum of degree level, with up to date professional registration
Desirable
Specialist knowledge of education in practice at Masters level equivalent e.g. mentorship module at Masters level or equivalent.
Skills and Abilities Essential
Excellent interpersonal skills able to engage and build effective relationships at all levels in stakeholder organisations Ability to present to large groups of people Ability to teach and facilitate in a variety of settings with different groups of staff Able to plan, implement and evaluate education programmes Excellent organisational and administrative skills Excellent time management skills Microsoft office - Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access
Knowledge and Experience Essential
Broad range of post qualifying clinical experience for a minimum of 5 years Extensive experience of teaching, supervising and assessing healthcare students in the practice setting Practical experience of facilitating change Experience of staff management/staff supervision Knowledge of different methods/ styles for teaching and learning Detailed understanding of curriculum development including the generation of learning outcomes Detailed understanding of a range of regulatory body requirements In depth knowledge of Quality Assurance principles and framework Working knowledge of Inter-professional learning theory
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).
Employer details Employer name Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Address Countess of Chester Hospital
Liverpool Road
Chester
CH21UL
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.coch.nhs.uk/working-with-us.aspx (Opens in a new tab)