Job summary

This role sits within the Corporate Care Group and provides strategic and operational leadership for the Trust's safer staffing agenda. The postholder will lead the development, implementation and continuous improvement of systems and processes that ensure safe, effective and financially sustainable staffing across all areas of midwifery. Working closely with the Associate Director-Workforce Development and Education for Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals and Deputy Chief, they will provide expert advice on safe staffing establishments, workforce planning, Birth Rate Plus and the configuration of HealthRoster templates in response to service pressures.

Main duties of the job

The Safety Staffing Lead Midwife provides strategic and operational leadership for safe midwifery staffing across the Trust, ensuring compliance with workforce, skill mix, acuity and dependency standards. The role leads the monitoring and optimisation of staffing systems, including Healthroster and Birth Rate Plus, to support safe and effective workforce deployment, workforce planning and establishment reviews. Working closely with senior nursing, midwifery, workforce, HR and finance leaders, the post holder reviews staffing performance, develops and implements safe staffing policies and escalation processes, supports compliance with CQC staffing requirements, and drives continuous quality improvement. The role also provides expert advice on safer staffing, promotes best practice and innovation, ensures staff are appropriately trained in workforce planning tools, represents midwifery staffing issues at Trust level, and maintains a visible presence within clinical areas to address workforce challenges and support the delivery of safe, high-quality maternity care.

About us

We are one of the largest hospital trusts in England, with five hospitals and community clinics serving a local population of around 800,000 people. Our vision is 'great healthcare from great people'. Everything we do is guided by our values: 'People feel cared for, safe, respected and confident that we are making a difference'. We have a new way of working at East Kent Hospitals, called 'We care'. It's about empowering frontline staff to lead improvements day-to-day. We're looking for compassionate people to be part of our improvement journey for the patients, families and carers we care for every day.

Please note that if you require a Certificate of Sponsorship to work in the UK you must declare this on your application form, even if you currently have a certificate of sponsorship or a work permit for another role and are already working in the country. Please note we are only able to sponsor candidates for a Skilled Worker Visa for roles that are eligible at the time of application.