Practice Facilitator for Midwifery

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust; West Midlands Combined Authority; On-site; GBP 37,000 - 45,000; Part time

Job description

Job Summary

Midwifery Practice Facilitator Role

We are looking for a well organised and motivated member of staff to join our Practice Facilitator (PF) team, supporting student nurses and midwives on practice placements in our trust.

We are looking for a team member with strong organisational skills, who is a confident communicator, with midwifery practice experience and able to work dynamically in their support of learners and staff. The role involves supporting learners in a variety of practice settings to achieve the assessed needs of the midwifery programme. The role also requires the post holder to work flexibly in supporting staff members to deliver safe and effective practice supervision and assessment, meeting the requirements of the current NMC standards.

The ideal candidate will have relevant knowledge and experience of student supervision and assessment, possess strong teaching skills and will demonstrate evidence of extensive CPD.

Main duties of the job

1. Ability to present to diverse groups of people of varying numbers and manage/facilitate workshops to deliver supervision and assessment skills, working collaboratively with University colleagues.
2. Provide support to Supervisors and Assessors in developing the skills required to support the learning of others.
3. Contribute to Supervisor and Assessor preparation and update programmes, by involvement in evaluating and amending contents in line with service needs and NMC standards.
4. Participate in the delivery of updates and workshops for Supervisors and Assessors.
5. Support and empower Supervisors and Assessors to sign to maintain their practice in line with the NMC SSSA standards (2018).
6. Provide guidance on progression plans for students who are not on course to achieve assessed elements of practice.
7. Work collaboratively within the organisations Practice Placement Team, to identify student placement capacity and evaluate the potential impact this may have on clinical learning opportunities to support and enhance student learning.

About Us

Our purpose is simple - Putting Patients First. We are looking for exceptional colleagues who can help us achieve this.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is a large acute and specialised hospital trust that provides a range of local acute services to the residents of Worcestershire and more specialised services to a larger population in Herefordshire and beyond.

The Trust operates hospital-based services from three sites in Kidderminster, Redditch and Worcester.

Our workforce is over 7,000 strong, and our caring staff are recognised as providing good and outstanding patient-centred care. You could be one of them.

We are committed to recruiting the best people to work with us to achieve our Vision - working in partnership to provide the best healthcare for our communities, leading and supporting our teams to move 4ward. Our 4ward behaviours, which we ask all staff to demonstrate, underpin our everyday work and remain firmly at the heart of all we do.

Our Objectives Are Simple:

• Best services for local people
• Best experience of care and best outcomes for our patients
• Best use of resources
• Best people

Better never stops, and our Clinical Services Strategy provides a clear future vision for our Trust, our hospitals, our services and our role in the wider health and care system.

We are proud to have achieved Timewise accreditation - this means we are committed to embedding flexible working within our organisation as a flex positive employer.

Date posted

04 April 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£37,338 to £44,962 a year Pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

C9365-25-0288

Job locations

Charles Hastings Way, Worcester, Worcestershire, WR5 1DD

Kidderminster General Hospital, Bewdley Road, Kidderminster, Worcestershire, DY11 6RJ

The Alexandra Hospital, Woodrow Drive, Redditch, Worcestershire, B98 7UB

Job Description

Job responsibilities

Key Duties:

1. Ability to present to diverse groups of people of varying numbers and manage/facilitate workshops to deliver supervision and assessment skills, working collaboratively with University colleagues.
2. Provide support to Supervisors and Assessors in developing the skills required to support the learning of others.
3. Contribute to Supervisor and Assessor preparation and update programmes, by involvement in evaluating and amending contents in line with service needs and NMC standards.
4. Participate in the delivery of updates and workshops for Supervisors and Assessors.
5. Support and empower Supervisors and Assessors to sign to maintain their practice in line with the NMC SSSA standards (2018).
6. Provide guidance on progression plans for students who are not on course to achieve assessed elements of practice.
7. Work collaboratively within the organisations Practice Placement Team, to identify student placement capacity and evaluate the potential impact this may have on clinical learning opportunities to support and enhance student learning.

Contribute To Learning And Teaching In Clinical Practice:

1. Act as a role model for staff and students, promoting excellence in practice through education, leadership, advice and support and teaching in clinical areas.
2. Work in conjunction with managers, Supervisors and Assessors to identify and develop existing and potential learning opportunities.
3. Work with individual staff and students to establish when additional learning, coaching and teaching is required to enable achievement of students assessed programme elements.

Developing a Learning Environment:

1. Offer an educational and research based resource for Supervisors and Assessors to develop and support evidence-based practice, which promotes a quality learning environment.
2. Monitor and evaluate standards of placement provision, through student evaluations, identifying and developing areas of poor practice in conjunction with the Practice Placement Team, ward managers and Supervisors and Assessors, to improve the delivery of patient care and the students learning experience.
3. In conjunction with the Practice Facilitators inform, guide and assist staff to develop the clinical area in preparation for receiving students for this programme of study.
4. Work in collaboration with clinical areas and academic staff to address specific additional learning needs arising from student and staff feedback.
5. Work collaboratively with managers, Supervisors and Assessors to develop induction packs for learners, which will act as a learning tool and contribute to patient and student safety within the clinical environment.

Communication:

1. Participate and contribute to meetings with the Practice Facilitator Team and HEI partners, as part of established partnership working practices. Providing feedback and actions to the team as necessary.
2. Provide feedback and support to clinical areas from student feedback, creating action plans for practice areas as necessary.

General Duties:

1. To comply with and support all policies and procedures issued by WAHT.
2. To have an understanding of NMC/University policies and procedures that guide pre-registration students through their curriculum.
3. To offer practice-based support to staff and students in clinical placement areas, as required.
4. To act as a role model and teacher by undertaking coaching support in clinical areas.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• At least 2 years post registration experience in clinical practice.
• Experience of assessing and supervising student midwives in clinical practice.
• Proven experience of working in different practice settings with learners.
• Proven leadership experience.

Skills/Knowledge

Essential

• Ability to present to diverse groups of people of varying numbers.
• Effective teaching and facilitation skills.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Excellent Interpersonal skills.
• Developed IT skills.
• Ability to work autonomously in challenging and dynamic work environments.
• Excellent problem solving skills.
• Ability to work proactively, using critical thinking skills.
• Ability to support staff and challenge where decisions are made which sit outside of agreed processes.
• Ability to prioritise workload, work to deadlines and manage competing demands.
• Ability to demonstrate self and organisational awareness.
• Able to assess, benchmark clinical education, support staff in complex decisions relating to student placement, competence and fitness to practice.
• An understanding of current strategic issues in midwifery, health care contexts and higher education; nationally and locally.
• Understanding of how midwifery students are assessed as part of their university programme.
• An understanding of health and social care policies.
• Professional knowledge acquired through degree supplemented by specialist professional knowledge and knowledge of student supervision and assessment, education and development practice.

Desirable

• Ability to develop and deliver presentations locally and nationally.
• An understanding of the challenges facing clinical areas in relation to placing students.
• An ability to articulate a broad knowledge and understanding of the NHS agenda.

Qualifications

Essential

• Current live registration on the NMC register.
• Educated to First Degree level, or equivalent.
• Evidence of CPD.
• Current Practice Assessor for midwifery students.

Desirable

• PgCert in higher education or working towards, or equivalent.
• Recognised / recordable Teaching Qualification.

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Able to work effectively as a member of a team and independently.
• Ability to deal with challenging situations effectively and efficiently.
• Effective time management skills.
• Be flexible and adaptable to change.
• Display professional values required to act as a role model.

Other Job Requirements

Essential

• Ability and willingness to travel throughout the organisation and to partner HEIs for meetings.
• Willingness to work flexibly.
• Ability to undertake clinical duties where required.
• Willingness to take on new responsibilities as required as part of the role, following discussion with the team lead.

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details

Employer name: Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Address: Charles Hastings Way, Worcester, Worcestershire, WR5 1DD

Employer's website: https://www.worcsacute.nhs.uk/