Labour Ward Coordinator Durham

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a dynamic and compassionate Labour Ward Coordinator to join our maternity team. This key leadership role is responsible for the safe and effective coordination of the Delivery Suite and Obstetric Theatre, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, woman-centred care within a busy and evolving maternity service.

As Labour Ward Coordinator, you will provide visible clinical and operational leadership, overseeing patient flow, staffing, workload allocation, and capacity management. Working closely with the multidisciplinary team, you will support the delivery of safe, responsive care whilst maintaining oversight of service activity and contributing to escalation and risk management processes.

We are seeking an experienced midwife with excellent clinical, communication, and leadership skills who is passionate about supporting women, families, and colleagues. You will play a pivotal role in promoting professional standards, supporting staff wellbeing and development, and fostering a positive culture that enables exceptional maternity care.

This is an exciting opportunity to influence service delivery, develop leadership skills, and make a significant contribution to improving outcomes and experiences for women and families across our maternity services.

Main duties of the job:

• Provide visible clinical and operational leadership on the Delivery Suite and Obstetric Theatre, ensuring the delivery of safe, effective, and high-quality maternity care.
• Coordinate the day-to-day operational management of the Delivery Suite and Obstetric Theatre.
• Oversee patient flow, bed capacity, workload allocation, staffing levels, and skill mix to ensure safe service delivery.
• Provide leadership and support to the multidisciplinary team, promoting a positive and inclusive working environment.
• Respond effectively to changing clinical priorities and periods of increased activity, leading escalation processes as required.
• Offer expert clinical advice and support in the management of complex maternity care situations.
• Work collaboratively with obstetric, anaesthetic, neonatal, and maternity colleagues to maintain patient safety and ensure the best possible outcomes for women and babies.
• Support the education, training, and development of midwives, student midwives, and other healthcare professionals.
• Promote evidence-based practice and ensure compliance with Trust policies, national standards, and professional requirements.
• Contribute to service improvement initiatives, quality assurance activities, and the ongoing development of maternity services.

This role offers the opportunity to influence service delivery, develop others, and make a significant contribution to the provision of outstanding maternity care.

Person Specification:

Experience:

• Essential: Substantial post-registration midwifery experience, including significant experience within a labour ward setting.
• Desirable: Experience of leading and driving clinical governance.

Statutory Registration:

• Essential: NMC registered Midwife.

Special Skills & Knowledge:

• Essential: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly and effectively at all levels.
• Demonstrable ability to deliver effective formal verbal and written presentations.
• Ability to work collaboratively and effectively within multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to build effective relationships and meaningfully engage with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Excellent negotiation, influencing and conflict-resolution skills.
• Ability to communicate sensitively, professionally and appropriately in complex and challenging situations.
• Ability to constructively challenge clinical decisions and practice where necessary, advocating for the safety and best interests of women, babies and families.
• Demonstrable understanding of maternity clinical governance, including risk management, incident reporting, learning from incidents, audit and quality improvement.
• Ability to lead and manage a large and diverse staffing group, including complex staffing, performance and workforce issues.
• Demonstrable organisational, planning and workforce management skills.
• Ability to make timely, safe and effective decisions under pressure and in complex clinical situations.
• Demonstrable up-to-date knowledge of professional, clinical and workforce issues affecting nursing and midwifery practice.
• Excellent time-management skills, with the ability to manage competing and complex demands.
• Ability to adapt priorities effectively in response to changing clinical acuity, staffing levels and operational pressures.
• Ability to effectively manage, support and develop a range of staff groups within a busy clinical environment.
• Ability to act as a visible, credible and compassionate clinical leader within the labour ward.
• Ability to develop and maintain effective professional networks both within the organisation and with external partners and professional groups.
• Demonstrable understanding of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion principles, with the ability to promote an inclusive, respectful and equitable environment for women, babies, families and colleagues, and to recognise and appropriately challenge discrimination and inequality.

Qualifications:

• Essential: Registered Midwife. Educated to degree level or working towards a Master's degree.

Special Requirements:

• Demonstrates behaviours consistent with the Trust values of Safety, Kindness, Teamwork and Improving and acts as a positive role model for colleagues.
• Commitment to drive service improvement.
• Ability to work flexibly to meet the clinical and operational demands of the labour ward, including weekends and periods of increased activity and cross site.
• Ability to adapt to changing workload, clinical acuity and staffing requirements to support the safe and effective running of the unit.
• IT literate, with the ability to use electronic patient records, maternity information systems and relevant workforce and administrative systems.