Job description

Do you have experience of providing bereavement support?

Do you have experience of working with families?

Are you able to communicate sensitively and with empathy?

Do you want to feel rewarded for supporting women and families in their greatest hours of need?

If so, look no further...

We are the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT).

We are a University teaching hospital full of hard working and dedicated staff providing community and hospital services across the Morecambe Bay area - an area covering a thousand square miles in south Cumbria and north Lancashire.

Our Trust is looking to recruit an empathetic, highly motivated and dedicated individual to join our Bereavement Support team within our Women's and Children's Care Group as a Maternity Bereavement Support Worker. This is a 12-month fixed term contract position.

Quality shines throughout the Trust, and the awards that our Care Groups, corporate teams and individuals have either won, or been shortlisted for, show the achievements are being recognised at a national level.

We also welcome applications from individuals who may with a secondment opportunity, please do discuss the opportunity of secondment with your line manager.

You will work as part of the bereavement midwifery team, to assist all staff with the care of bereaved families under the supervision and direction of the Bereavement Specialist Midwives. This will role will help offer families an enhanced level of bereavement support.

Whilst Royal Lancaster Infirmary has been indicated as the base for this role we would also welcome applicants who may wish their base to be on of our other main hospital sites, Furness General Hospital, Barrow-in-Furness or Westmorland General Hospital, Kendal.

We operate from three main hospitals - Furness General Hospital (FGH) in Barrow, the Royal Lancaster Infirmary (RLI), and Westmorland General Hospital (WGH) in Kendal, as well as a number of community health care premises.

FGH and the RLI have a range of General Hospital services, with full Emergency Departments, Critical/Coronary Care units and various Consultant-led services.

We are working towards becoming a truly inclusive organisation by celebrating inclusion and diversity, and are committed to eliminating discrimination, reducing health inequalities, promoting equal opportunities and respect for all of our colleagues and patients.

We are working hard to enhance the health and wellbeing of our workforce, improving the quality of their working life and valuing their contribution to high quality patient care. Our Flourish at Work is a big part of that.

This post would also be attractive to individuals who are wanting to work for an organisation who actively promotes a healthy work and home life balance.

• To assist in providing the highest standards of maternity/early pregnancy bereavement care alongside the bereavement specialist midwives.
• To actively partake in providing support to women and their families/bereaved parents, enhancing the delivery of bereavement care in accordance with agreed bereavement standards guidelines and pathways.
• Receive and deal with telephone calls to the maternity bereavement team from women and their families/bereaved parents, staff, and to escalate to a Registered Midwife or Bereavement Specialist Midwife as appropriate, if unable to deal with the queries or issues personally.
• Supporting delivery of individualised and personalised bereavement care to women and their families/bereaved parents, in accordance with their needs and wishes.
• Notice and respond appropriately to the changing needs of the woman and their families/bereaved parents
• Assessing the needs of women and their families/bereaved parents contacting the Maternity Bereavement Team to ascertain the level and type of information required. Referring service users on to further sources of support when required.
• Providing appropriate information on bereavement and bereaved related services to women and their families/bereaved parents, staff, other health professionals, students and members of the public.
• The nature of this post requires that the post holder can convey complex distressing information in a clear, concise and appropriate manner.
• To be able to sensitively and compassionately handle minor complaints or distressing situations in a calm and supportive manner, escalating to a Registered Midwife or the Bereavement Specialist Midwife as required.