Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a passionate and dedicated band 6 Midwife to join the Infant Feeding Team at Epsom and St Helier!

Working cross-site, the post holder will promote and support the Trust infant feeding practices, adhering to the blended infant feeding guidelines and wider Trust guidelines related to infant feeding and responsive parenting. The primary responsibility of the post holder is to ensure the complete implementation and maintenance of the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) standards, thereby ensuring the preservation and retention of the Trust BFI Gold Award status.

The post holder will be a recognised specialised professional with advanced knowledge in infant feeding and will serve as a valuable source of information and support for colleagues and parents. The role involves the provision of education and clinical supervision to assist staff in implementing evidence-based approaches to infant feeding and relationship building. It aims to align with the government health promotion agenda and the NHS Long Term Plan vision for the
Baby Friendly Initiative and to maintain the Trust’s BFI Gold status.
Establishing and maintaining a visible presence in the clinical setting is crucial. 

Main duties of the job

Infant Feeding Midwife Band 6

• Ensure that all families receive support and information to allow them to make an informed choice regarding feeding. 
• Engage with colleagues and support them to enhance clinical judgement with infant feeding assessments and breastfeeding observations of service users and babies’ needs and evaluate clinical care as appropriate.
• Confident in the documentation of feeding plans and management plans in the electronic notes.
• Act as a role model and demonstrate evidence-based care and practices in relation to infant feeding and relationship building.
• Interview mothers/parents of infant feeding readmissions (maternal/new born), completing incident reports with feedback to staff with both positive and identified learning development needs.
• Be familiar with multi-disciplinary guidelines and policies relating to infant feeding and supporting staff to evolve if there are any changes in practice.
• Undertake interviews for audit, using appropriate BFI audit tools to evaluate infant feeding practices within ESTH maternity services

Working for our organisation

St George’s, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group cares for a population of four million people in South West London and North East Surrey. Our sites include St George’s Hospital, one of 11 major trauma centres in the UK and the largest healthcare provider and major teaching hospital in the area; St Helier Hospital, home to the South West Thames Renal and Transplantation Unit and Queen Mary's Hospital for Children; and Epsom Hospital, home to the South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre (SWLEOC). 

 After years of collaboration, our two Trusts became a hospitals group in 2021. While remaining as two separate Trusts, being a hospitals group will help us to collaborate more closely on research, and the development, education, and training of our 17,000-strong workforce.