Perinatal Bereavement Support Worker

NHS; Chertsey; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 31,000

Job description

Ashford & St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Do you want to make a difference to people's lives?

We currently have an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated, reliable, compassionate individual with good organisation skills to join our small team, working with the maternity bereavement service.

Experience working with bereaved families is desirable, however full support and training will be given. We will teach you everything you need to know for this physically & emotionally demanding role. To us, it's more important that you are a team player, caring and a kind person with a genuine desire to help and support women, and their families. If this sounds like you, then you already have the attributes that make a great Bereavement Support Worker.

St Peters is a great place to work, offering a working environment with an inclusive culture that looks after, and values our people, creating a sense of belonging. We encourage applications from people who embrace our values and who will enable us to expand our diverse workforce. The Trust understands that benefits go beyond just financial rewards and offers a wide range of benefits that recognise staff contribution, provide opportunities for career development, and offer initiatives to promote a healthy work-life balance.

Please contact Zara Chamberlain if you wish to have an informal chat on 01932722879 or email [e-mail] to find out more.

Apply now to start your lifelong career at St Peters.

Main duties of the job

We would like you to help support bereaved families on our labour ward, participate in memory making, ensure the bereavement room is well stocked, organise follow up appointments for parents with their consultant, liaise with the mortuary/pathology services and help collate data for audits. This role is interesting and varied and no two days will ever look the same.

As a Bereavement Support Worker, you don't need any previous bereavement experience, but you will need good literacy (English) and numeracy (maths) skills. We will provide you with all the training that is required to do the job.

It's your personal skills and values that will be most vital to the role; we need you to be proactive, compassionate, and willing to get stuck in. It's a hands-on environment where teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills are essential.

Maternity Services Support Worker roles represent a world of opportunities within the NHS. They are a great entry point into the NHS and can lead on to a lifelong career.

Job responsibilities

There are clinical aspects to the role and these include working with bereaved families to create memories as well as preparing specimens for the mortuary/pathognomics. You will also ensure that practical aids are available and the bereavement rooms are well stocked.

Communicating with clients and their families is an important part of this role and you will be the main point of contact for the service. Admin responsibilities include the organisation of all Consultant led perinatal follow up appointments. You will also contribute to audit, reporting and other clinical governance activity being undertaken by the bereavement team.

The role will also support the team to deliver ad-hoc training in the clinical area as well as helping to facilitate the annual Memory Day and Baby Loss Awareness Week.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Level 3 in Health and Social Care OR an acceptable level 3 Qualification with equivalent experience or relevant experience in this area.

Experience

• Previous/ current experience in a Health or Social Care environment.
• Experience of working independently as well as part of a team
• Previous experience of working in a clinical setting as a maternity support worker or as part of a bereavement team

Knowledge & Skills

• Caring and Compassionate
• Ability to prioritise appropriately
• Team Player
• Works under own initiative

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.

Employer name

Ashford & St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Midwife Specialist for Bereavement Service

£27,857 to £30,570 a year pa inc. HCAS pro-rata