Specialist Midwife for Maternal Mental Health

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

Specialist Midwife for Maternal Mental Health

The closing date is 12 August 2026

Join us in shaping a new Maternal Mental Health Service at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust. We are looking for an enthusiastic and compassionate Specialist Midwife to play a key role in delivering our new NHS England‑funded service, supporting women and birthing people experiencing birth trauma, perinatal loss, fear of childbirth and other maternity‑related psychological difficulties. Working within a multidisciplinary team, you will provide expert assessment, care coordination and trauma‑informed support, while helping to develop pathways, educate colleagues and improve access to specialist care. This is an exciting opportunity to influence a brand‑new service and make a lasting difference to women, babies and families across County Durham and Darlington.

Main duties of the job

As the Specialist Midwife for Maternal Mental Health, you will provide expert, trauma‑informed care and support for women and birthing people experiencing mental health difficulties related to pregnancy and childbirth. You will undertake specialist assessments, coordinate care across maternity, neonatal, mental health and community services, and develop personalised care plans to improve outcomes for women, babies and families. Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, you will act as a key link between services, provide advice and education to maternity staff, contribute to service development, quality improvement and audit, and support the implementation of evidence‑based pathways. You will play a vital role in ensuring women receive compassionate, coordinated and equitable care throughout the perinatal period.

Our Services

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 patient‑home care.

We welcome applications from disabled and BAME candidates as these groups are currently under‑represented.

Job responsibilities

This role offers the opportunity to join our newly established Maternal Mental Health Service (MMHS), funded by NHS England, and help shape the future of trauma‑informed maternity care across County Durham and Darlington.

As the Specialist Midwife for Maternal Mental Health, you will provide specialist support to women and birthing people experiencing mental health difficulties associated with pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period. This includes supporting women who have experienced birth trauma, perinatal loss, fear of childbirth (tokophobia), or other psychological difficulties related to their maternity experience.

Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, you will undertake holistic assessments, develop individualised care plans and coordinate care across maternity, neonatal, perinatal mental health, primary care and community services. You will work closely with women and their families to ensure they receive compassionate, person‑centred care that meets their individual needs.

A key aspect of the role is acting as the link between maternity services and mental health services, ensuring women experience seamless care and timely access to specialist support. You will attend multidisciplinary meetings, contribute to complex case discussions and work collaboratively with colleagues and partner agencies to improve outcomes for women, babies and families.

Alongside your clinical role, you will support the wider maternity workforce by providing advice, education and guidance on maternal mental health, trauma‑informed care and referral pathways. You will help increase staff confidence in recognising and responding to psychological distress and contribute to developing a culture where emotional well‑being is recognised as an integral part of maternity care.

You will also contribute to the ongoing development of this new service through quality improvement, audit, evaluation and implementation of evidence‑based practice. Working with colleagues across the Trust and wider system, you will help develop pathways, identify opportunities for improvement and ensure the service continues to meet NHS England standards and deliver high‑quality care.

This role offers the opportunity to make a genuine difference to the lives of women and families while helping to establish an innovative service that places compassionate, equitable and trauma‑informed care at the heart of every maternity journey.

Person Specification

Special Skills & Knowledge

• Knowledge of maternal mental health difficulties and their impact on women, babies and families.
• Knowledge of trauma‑informed care and its application in maternity services.
• Knowledge of safeguarding processes for adults and babies.
• Understanding of the role of multidisciplinary working in supporting perinatal mental health.
• Knowledge of local and national guidance relating to maternal mental health and maternity services.
• Understanding of factors affecting access to and engagement with services.
• Ability to undertake holistic assessments and contribute to care planning for women with complex needs.
• Ability to communicate sensitively with women, families and professionals regarding complex or distressing issues.
• Ability to build therapeutic relationships and provide supportive interventions within scope of practice.
• Ability to work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team.
• Ability to coordinate care across services.
• Ability to provide advice and support to colleagues.
• Good organisational and time‑management skills.
• Ability to maintain accurate clinical records.
• Competent IT skills including use of electronic records systems.
• Ability to work autonomously within scope of practice.
• Ability to manage competing demands and prioritise workload.
• Ability to work flexibly across clinical settings.
• Ability to maintain professional boundaries.
• Ability to manage emotionally challenging situations.
• Ability to recognise and escalat…