Clinical Lead Health Visitor: Infant Feeding

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Job overview

This exciting new post involves taking the lead in supporting the wider Health Visiting teams to deliver on one of the key objectives identified and agreed for the health visiting service in Barnet. The time dedicated to this role will vary but will include certain number of day(s) per week.
This role supports the Infant Feeding Coordinator in the delivery of infant feeding services in Barnet, working towards increasing rates of initiation and continuation of breast feeding. This includes supporting audit and training in relation to maintaining and developing Barnet's Baby Friendly certificate of commitment with the aim of progressing to Level 1. The post holder will support developing and providing clinical expertise to staff, parents and health partners alongside the infant feeding coordinator. It also includes supporting and enhancing the delivery of the Barnet Healthy Child programme as part of an integrated service.

The role is also responsible for the delivery of Universal Health Services to designated areas within Barnet. Reporting to the Team Leader/Locality Manager, they will support the development of the service and work with colleagues to ensure the delivery of a safe and effective universal health provision.
The role is a fantastic development opportunity which will enable you to get involved to shape and deliver on the local strategy.
We are interested in your aspirations and supporting your career development so come and find out more

Main duties of the job

1. To demonstrate a commitment to best practice in Infant Feeding and all aspects of child development and work with the Early Years Teams and other partners to embed best practice in Barnet, and Whittington Health as a whole.
2. To demonstrate and develop evidence-based knowledge, attitudes, and skills to be able to be an expert resource for the integrated teams, particularly in the area of Infant Feeding.
3. To assess local need and to plan, coordinate and deliver training programmes and workshops to health visiting staff, and others as appropriate, to promote best practice standards in all aspects of Infant Feeding.
4. To work with other specialist colleagues such as Early Years to develop integrated protocols which support the Infant Feeding Strategy.
5. To provide Infant Feeding expertise and support to Community Nursery Nurses, Health Visitors and other partners working with families.
6. To take a lead role in working with colleagues and partners to deliver on our Infant feeding Strategy.
7. To participate in planning, carrying out and evaluating audits, research projects and/or innovations following agreed policy and protocol, in particular those relating to the Baby Friendly Initiative.
8. To initiate and to take part in Quality Improvement projects using recognised methodology.

Working for our organisation

Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For more information regarding the main responsibilities of the role, please refer to the attached Job Description.

Person specification

Education / Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Health Visiting/Midwife/Registered Nurse Professional Qualification, with entry onto the 3rd part of the NMC Register
• Educated to degree level or equivalent
• UNICEF breastfeeding and relationship building training.

Desirable criteria

• Excellent performance in UNICEF Audits
• Leadership modules (L6/7)
• UNICEF Train The Trainer facilitator and/ or additional training in infant feeding
• IBCLC qualification

Skills & Abilities

Essential criteria

• Willingness to lead and support management of change.
• Excellent communication skills: IT written and oral.
• High levels of clinical skills, with the ability to identify, respond to and evaluate health needs, including the delivery of public health programmes.
• Evidence of application of high levels of knowledge and skills relating to emotional and physical wellbeing during the antenatal period.
• Evidence of application of high levels of knowledge and skills relating to the issues and concerns experienced during the Transition to Parenthood.
• Evidence of high level of knowledges and skills in infant feeding specific such as baby brain development, infant feeding support, relationship building.

Desirable criteria

• Experience in Breastfeeding Audit

Knowledge & Experience

Essential criteria

• Knowledge of UNICEF baby Friendly accreditation process, legislation, national and local guidance relating to infant feeding.
• Knowledge of how to structure and deliver a training programme at all staff levels.
• Knowledge of current legislation and national guidance relating to all aspects of the Healthy Child Programme.
• Knowledge on how to apply audit and Quality Improvement methodology.
• Knowledge and skills in managing change at an operational level.
• Knowledge and skills of co-production.
• Understanding of the safeguarding process and child protection procedures, clinical governance arrangements and the ability to make decisions in these areas.
• Ability to manage other members of staff and delegate work appropriately and safely.

PERSONAL QUALITIES

Essential criteria

• Ability to work as part of an integrated team working across organisational and professional boundaries.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• Commitment to the development of excellent services, which focus on improved outcomes for children.
• Awareness of Equal Opportunities and valuing diversity.
• Ability to set personal and team objectives and manage time, priorities and stressful situations.

SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND ADULTS

To comply with the Trust's Safeguarding Children and Adults policies , procedures and protocols. All individual members of staff (paid or unpaid) have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults This will require you to:

• Ensure you are familiar with and comply with the London Child Protection Procedures and protocols for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people.

• Ensure you are familiar and comply with the London Multi Agency Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Pan London Procedures.

• Ensure you are familiar and comply with local protocols and systems for information sharing.
• Know the appropriate contact numbers and required reporting lines.
• Participate in required training and supervision.
• Comply with required professional boundaries and codes of conduct

Whittington Health is committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Your application form -

1. Provide only business email address for your referees - we are unable to request references from yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail accounts.
2. Make sure you to include all evidence of where you meet the essential requirement on the jobs description as this forms the base of our shortlisting criteria.

Our processes -

1. Closing dates are given as a guide; we are within our right to close adverts early so please ensure you submit your application as soon as possible to avoid delay.
2. If you do not hear from us up to 3 weeks after the closing date of the job unfortunately this means you have not been successfully shortlisted for interview. If your require feedback on your application please contact the appointing manager detailed in the body of the advert.
3. Please check your emails regularly as all correspondence from us will be via trac.systems - occasionally these emails will go into your Junk folder.
4. Employment at Whittington Health is offered subject to successful completion of a 6 month probationary period for all staff with the exception of GMC Registered Doctors.

Other important information -

• Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. Before submitting your application and to avoid disappointment please check that you are eligible under the UKVI points based system.
• Applications are welcome from people wishing to job share or work flexible patterns. We are committed to equal opportunities.
• In submitting an application form, you authorise Whittington Health NHS Trust to confirm any previous NHS service details via the Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process should you be appointed to the post.

If you are offered a role with one of the NLPSS partner trusts, as part of pre-employment checks your identity and right to work documentation will be verified remotely (in most circumstances), using a certified identity verification service provider TrustID. You will be asked to capture an image of the relevant documents as well as a "selfie" using your smartphone/tablet (if available) for facial matching. TrustID will also perform a digital address check using Trunarrative and Equifax, which is a soft check and does not leave a footprint on your credit rating. For more information, visit

Please note that during the recruitment process your Identity Documentation (i.e. passport, driving licence, visa, etc.) will be scanned using a device which recognises UV, Infrared and Machine Readable Zone security features of the documents provided

The Trust uses electronic new starter forms on Trac to collect personal details. Information collected is securely stored and used to set up the employee record on the ESR HR system.

We would welcome applications from individuals who are from underrepresented groups in the organisation

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Application numbers

This vacancy may close early if it receives a high number of applications. Please complete and submit your application in good time to avoid disappointment.
Documents to download

• Clinical Lead Health Visitor Infant Feeding JD-PS (PDF, 704.3KB)
• Whittington Probationary Policy (PDF, 298.0KB)
• Whittington Employment Promise (PDF, 22.4KB)