Guys and St Thomas is among the UKs busiest and most successful NHS foundation trusts. We provide a full range of hospital and community services for people in south London and as well as specialist care for patients from further afield including cancer, renal, orthopaedic, respiratory and cardiovascular services.

Guys is home to the largest dental school in Europe and a £160 million Cancer Centre opened in 2016. As part of our commitment to provide care closer to home, in 2017 we also opened a cancer centre and a kidney treatment centre at Queen Marys Hospital in Sidcup. St Thomas has one of the largest critical care units in the UK and one of the busiest emergency departments in London. It is also home to Evelina London Childrens Hospital.

Evelina London cares for local children in Lambeth and Southwark and provides specialist services across south east England including cardiac, renal and critical care services. We lead a number of specialist service networks aiming to ensure children are treated locally where possible, but have access to specialist expertise when they need it. Our community services include health visiting, school nursing and support for families of children with long-term conditions. 

Our adult community services teams deliver care at the heart of the local communities we serve, working in partnership with GPs, local authorities and other healthcare and voluntary sector organisations. Working with our partners in Lambeth and Southwark, we are focusing on new ways of working to improve care for local patients.

In February 2021 the Royal Brompton and Harefield joined Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust, bringing together world-leading expertise in the care and research of heart and lung disease. Our merger provides a once in a generation opportunity to build a lasting, world-renowned heart and lung centre, providing the highest quality care for patients and conducting world-leading research.

We have a reputation for clinical excellence and high quality teaching and research. We are part of Kings Health Partners, one of eight accredited UK academic health sciences centres. In partnership with Kings College London we have dedicated clinical research facilities and a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre.

Patients are at the heart of everything we do and we pride ourselves on ensuring the best possible patient experience as well as safe, high quality care. We are proud to have one of the lowest mortality rates in the NHS. Following a comprehensive Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection in 2019 we maintained our overall rating of good. Our adult community services achieved a rating of outstanding.

The commitment of our 23,500 staff is key to our success. We are one of the largest local employers and we aim to develop and support all our staff so they are able to deliver high quality, safe and efficient care. The 2019 NHS staff survey results show that we have one of the most engaged and motivated workforces in the NHS. We know this has a positive impact on the care provided to our patients.

We have one of the most ambitious capital investment programmes anywhere in the NHS.

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and motivated midwife to join the Clinical Governance Team as Risk Midwife.

This post involves leading on risk and assurance activities as part of the wider governance team including incident investigation, analysis of risk and outcomes and sharing learning from themes with all clinical staff.

Guys and St Thomas is a large trust with a busy maternity department that provides care for a varied population including women and babies with significant health and social risk factors making this a challenging and rewarding place to undertake risk management and clinical governance. 

Advert closing: 16th October 2022

Interview date: 28th October 2022

Main duties of the job

This role will consist of both risk management and elements of the quality improvement portfolio including Serious Incident investigation, management of a risk register, PMRT participation and leading on quality improvement projects.

The successful candidate will have solid midwifery experience and interest in learning from incidents and leading changes in practice to improve care of women and their families. 

Working for our organisation

As the only NHS Trust in London with womens and specialist childrens services on one site we have unique opportunities to provide excellent, high-quality, integrated care for mothers, babies and children. Our directorate provides high quality care to patients across South East London, as well as delivering a range of specialist services both nationally and internationally. We treat approximately 40,000 gynaecology patients, and deliver 6,400 NHS births and 350 private births a year. We have one of the largest NHS IVF units in the UK, which includes our flagship Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis services. Alongside our clinical services, we are integrated with colleagues at Kings College London, delivering a significant programme of research and development. 

Joining our team would mean you become part of the GSTT women’s services family. We are proudly a respectful multi-professional and dynamic team working together to provide the best care for women and their families.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see attached Job Description for full details of duties and responsibilities.

The risk midwife will be responsible leading on risk management activities within Womens Services. The main responsibilities include reviewing and investigating incidents, ensuring the appropriate multidisciplinary review of more complex incidents and coordinating risk activities including PMRT, ATAIN and NHSR within the service.

The post holder will be expected to work clinically 1-2 shifts per month to maintain clinical competence.

Person specification

Education/ Qualifications

Essential criteria

  • Registered Midwife
  • Degree level qualification
  • Experience

    Essential criteria

  • Post registration experience in all areas of midwifery practice including community
  • Knowledge of risk management and national quality improvement processes.
  • Expert midwifery skills and knowledge
  • Desirable criteria

  • Risk management experience
  • Change management experience
  • Experience of managing complaints
  • Skills/ Knowledge/ Ability

    Essential criteria

  • Knowledge of the risk management process
  • Excellent communication skills and compassionate approach
  • Strong command of written and spoken English
  • Able to act as a midwifery specialist advisor to group members and other professional groups.
  • Aptitudes and personal characteristics

    Essential criteria

  • Able to work and communicate well in stressful situations
  • Able to undertake all duties of a midwife
  • Guys and St Thomas celebrates, respects and values the diversity of its staff and patients. We review our policies, procedures and practices to ensure that all employees, patients and carers are treated equitable according to their needs. We are actively committed to ensuring that no one who applies for a job, works or studys at the Trust, or accesses our services is discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, religion or belief, age, gender identity , gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity/paternity, or marital/civil partnership.