About this role
Job summary
This is an exciting opportunity for a motivated, ambitious, and experienced midwife to join our Labour Ward Co-ordinator team at the University Hospital of North Durham. This role is ideal for an individual who is passionate about delivering high-quality maternity care and is keen to further develop their leadership, clinical, and management skills within a supportive and progressive service.
Our maternity service benefits from excellent facilities, including an alongside Midwife-Led Unit (MLU), consultant-led obstetric services, and a dedicated bereavement suite designed to provide compassionate care and support for birthing people and their families.
Upon joining our organisation, you will undertake a supernumerary induction period to support your transition into the role. You will be welcomed into a supportive team environment and provided with opportunities to enhance your leadership and clinical expertise through our comprehensive Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programmes and the National Labour Ward Co-ordinator Framework.
We are committed to developing highly skilled and confident midwives who are empowered to provide exceptional care and leadership, ensuring the very best outcomes and experiences for the families of County Durham and Darlington.
Main duties of the job
As a Labour Ward Co-ordinator, you will provide visible clinical and operational leadership across the maternity service, ensuring the delivery of safe, effective, and compassionate care for women, birthing people, babies, and their families.
About us
If you are being interviewed you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager.
You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks.
We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes.
We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented.
Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents.
Over reliance on AI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances of success.
For the most up-to-date information on visa requirements and eligibility, please check online to determine whether you can apply.
Please note that we may close any vacancy early once a sufficient number of applications have been received.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Key responsibilities include
- Co-ordinating the day-to-day activity of the Labour Ward, ensuring resources, staffing levels, and skill mix are aligned to clinical demand and acuity.
- Providing clinical leadership and expert support to the multidisciplinary team, promoting high standards of evidence-based maternity care.
- Maintaining oversight of patient flow throughout the maternity service, facilitating timely admissions, transfers, and discharges to ensure safe and effective care delivery.
- Supporting the operational management of the Pregnancy Assessment Unit and Ante/Postnatal Ward during out-of-hours periods, ensuring safe staffing and service provision across all areas.
- Escalating capacity, staffing, and clinical safety concerns in line with local escalation policies and contributing to effective risk management.
- Acting as a professional role model, promoting a positive culture of teamwork, inclusion, and continuous improvement.
- Supporting and supervising midwives, newly qualified midwives, maternity support workers, and student midwives, fostering professional development and learning.
- Working in partnership with obstetric, anaesthetic, neonatal, and wider multidisciplinary colleagues to ensure coordinated and personalised care.
- Contributing to service development, quality improvement initiatives, clinical governance activities, and the implementation of national and local maternity standards.
The Labour Ward Co-ordinator is a senior clinical leadership role responsible for overseeing the safe, effective, and efficient running of the Labour Ward on a shift-by-shift basis. The post holder will coordinate maternity services, manage workload and acuity, and support the multidisciplinary team to ensure women, birthing people, babies, and families receive high-quality, personalised care.
The post holder will have some responsibility for a group of midwives and maternity support workers for appraisal and development
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- High level of clinical expertise and sound knowledge of all birthing environments using an evidence based approach.
- Knowledge of current issues and initiatives in public health, antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal care
- Able to manage sensitive or difficult situations effectively
- IT skills including Microsoft Office, Word, Excel and PowerPoint
- Well developed communication skills including the ability to communicate calmly, clearly and kindly whilst building and maintaining trusted and respectful relationships with all colleagues across the MDT
- Able to lead with confidence and act with compassion for service users and all members of a team ensuring a culture of inclusivity and psychological safety.
- Ability to work on own initiative and take ownership of problems.
- Excellent organisational and time management skills.
- Committed to professional and personal development supported by reflective practice
Desirable
- Leadership experience
- Experience of linking with outside agencies and stakeholders.
- Participation in Quality Improvement activity
- Participation in audit
Special Skills & Knowledge
Essential
- Ability to provide written and verbal reports.
- Ability to independently travel across all CDDFT sites as required
Qualifications
Essential
- Degree/diploma relevant to speciality
- Significant experience within an acute maternity setting at Band 6 level
- Evidence of relevant ongoing professional development
Desirable
- Recognised teaching /assessing qualification
- Post graduate certificate or Masters in health related, management or leadership subject.
- Evidence of management training
- PMA qualification
- Trained NIPE practitioner
Statutory Registration
Essential
- NMC midwife registrant
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
County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Address
University Hospital Of North Durham
North Road
Durham
DH1 5TW
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.cddft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)