Deputy Screening Coordinator

The post holder will have a key role working within the Antenatal and Newborn (ANNB) Screening team, promoting and maintaining antenatal screening services.

Main duties of the job:

• Be responsible for co-ordinating the care of women and birthing people who screen positive for vertically transmissible infectious diseases routinely screened for within the infectious diseases in pregnancy screening programme (IDPS).
• Provide support and information to midwives and the wider MDT on screening and infectious diseases.
• Provide counselling to women and birthing people with unexpected screening results relating to all the national screening programmes. This includes providing advice, information and support for clients to make informed decisions about their choices moving forward.
• Work closely with local centres, including the Sickle Cell and Thalassemia Specialist Centre, FASP screening service providers and local sexual health clinics, to ensure clients receive appropriate care and follow-up.
• Participate in failsafe checks to ensure screening has been completed for all eligible clients who have consented to screening, and that those who decline are fully informed of their choice.
• Participate in auditing the service and liaising with the ANNB Screening Coordinator for submission of local and national data reporting.
• Support implementation of new developments in ANNB screening services within maternity in conjunction with other members of the screening team.
• Deputise for the Antenatal and Newborn Screening Co-ordinator in their absence.

Working for our organisation:

Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities:

• Responsible for receiving and following up positive HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis results.
• Ensure clients receive counselling for results, appropriate support, and are referred for appropriate follow up with the appropriate MDT teams.
• Follow up equivocal or inconclusive results in line with national and local guidance.
• Identify abnormalities in testing results and refer appropriately to the multidisciplinary team or other agencies as appropriate.

Person specification:

Education / Qualifications:

• Registered Midwife with current NMC registration.
• Provides evidence of continuous personal and professional development.
• Evidence of teaching and developing junior staff.
• NIPE trained.
• Specialist Training in Infectious Diseases in Pregnancy.

Knowledge & Experience:

• Consolidated Post registration experience in all aspects of Midwifery Care.
• Evidence of clinical competence.
• Sound knowledge of Antenatal & Newborn Screening Programmes.
• Experience of counselling.
• Evidence of teaching and developing junior staff.
• Experience in infectious diseases and screening in pregnancy.
• Experience in developing and implementing guidelines.
• Experience of data collection and analysis.

Skills & Abilities:

• Good counselling and listening skills and ability to deal with delivering distressing news.
• Ability to work under pressure and on own initiative.
• Understanding of current issues in antenatal and newborn screening e.g. Failsafe systems, national standards.
• Understanding and knowledge of key performance indicators in screening.
• Demonstrates skills in IT systems and use of word, excel and powerpoint.
• Sensitive to the diverse needs of women and birthing people.
• Ability to influence and manage change, including the promotion of evidence based practice.

Personal qualities:

• Evidence of recent personal development activity.
• Demonstrates an ability to work as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Safeguarding children and adults:

To comply with the Trust’s Safeguarding Children and Adults policies, procedures and protocols. All individual members of staff (paid or unpaid) have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This will require you to:

• Ensure you are familiar with and comply with the London Child Protection Procedures and protocols for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people.
• Ensure you are familiar and comply with the London Multi Agency Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Pan London Procedures.
• Ensure you are familiar and comply with local protocols and systems for information sharing.
• Know the appropriate contact numbers and required reporting lines.
• Participate in required training and supervision.
• Comply with required professional boundaries and codes of conduct.

Whittington Health is committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.