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Job summary

Main area
N/A
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 7
Contract
Secondment: 12 months
Hours
Full time
Job ref
199-6027700-SS-Y-C
Employer
Croydon Health Services NHS Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Croydon Health Services NHS Trust
Town
Croydon
Salary
£49,178 - £55,492 p.a pro rata incl HCAS (Outer London)
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
13/05/2024 23:59

Employer heading

Croydon Health Services NHS Trust logo

Specialist Health Visitor- Infant Nutrition and Healthy Weight

NHS AfC: Band 7

Croydon is a busy, exciting and diverse place to work. The borough has one of the youngest populations in London and continues to grow.

Croydon Health Services cares for local people at Croydon University Hospital, Purley Memorial Hospital and in clinics and people’s homes all across the borough.

We are a very close-knit and friendly organisation where everyone of our 3600 members of staff is valued. We strongly believe that our employees are our greatest asset and so through Listening into Action – our way of engaging staff - we empower everyone at any level to initiate and bring about real improvements in our care.

Join us and be a part of the team that is making Croydon proud.  #choosecroydon

Job overview

The post holder will support the development and implementation of the Healthy Child Programme with a particular focus on the high impact areas of breastfeeding, infant nutrition, healthy weight and healthy nutrition.

The post holder will work with the health visiting teams to enhance the specialist support services across Croydon Health Visiting, including e.g.  Access to Peer Support in the community.

The post holder will work collaboratively with the midwifery equivalent post holder to deliver UNICEF Baby Friendly, including the training of staff. 

The post holder to focus on uptake and sustainability of breastfeeding, nutrition in infancy, promoting healthy start vouchers, baby-led weaning, healthy eating and primary prevention of obesity, participating in multidisciplinary strategy meetings as required. 

 

Main duties of the job

To be responsible for quality assurance, training and development for Croydon Health Visiting, embedding evidence based practice.

To act as a resource for the service according to the HV service model as a specialist, providing expert knowledge, leading a champions team.

To work collaboratively with key stakeholders including midwifery services to develop joint pathways .

To implement and support a sustainable UNICEF Baby Friendly level of service within Croydon.

To provide clinical support in the provision of Breast Feeding Specialist services in the Croydon .

To support the development of a community based Peer support programme.

To provide supervision and line management support as appropriate.

To carry a proportionate operational caseload

To work with clinical and informatics teams to develop appropriate reporting frameworks, to provide quality and performance reports. 

Develop and lead a programme of quality assurance and audit to support best practice and achieving UNICEF Baby friendly level 3 and to ensure its sustainability, in line with UNICEF quality standards 

To provide learning experiences in the working and educational environment.

To demonstrate competence in all activities and interventions at all times.

To form effective working relationships with Op Leads, Clinical Team Leaders, colleagues in the Champions teams.

 

Working for our organisation

Croydon Hospital

Croydon Health Services NHS Trust provide hospital and community services from a number of community and specialist clinics throughout Croydon.

These include:
• Croydon University Hospital
• Purley Hospital
• The Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Centre in Thornton Heath
• Community bases at Purley, Sanderstead, New Addington, Broad Green, Woodside
• A minor injuries unit in New Addington

The Trust was formed on 1st August 2010 through the integration of Croydon Community Health Services and Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust. Around 3,500 staff provide services for a population of over 360,000 people who are relatively young with a high level of ethnic diversity.

Our Vision:

“Excellent integrated care for you and your family, when and where you need it”

Our 5 key ‘Here for you’ promises to the people of Croydon are:

• You feel cared for by helpful and welcoming staff
• You feel in safe hands with highly professional staff
• You feel confident in your treatment from skilled teams of compassionate clinicians
• You feel we value your time with convenient appointments, minimal waiting and care closer to home
• You feel it’s getting better all the time as we continue to improve our services

We are one of 17 Trusts in the country who have been accepted as national pioneers on staff engagement and empowerment, through the adoption of "Listening into Action" as a new way of working. The approach we are taking to “Listening into Action” is new and different.



 

 

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Leadership

  1. To provide leadership to the Croydon Health Visiting service and Croydon acting as an expert and resource for breast feeding and healthy nutrition
  2. To lead training
  3. To manage resources effectively
  4. To Lead service change with peers and Operational Leads
  5. To encourage and role model high quality services and service innovation
  6. To lead the sustainability plan for UNICEF baby friendly
  7. To inspire staff to provide a high quality service and encourage loyalty to the organization.
  8. To make appropriate decisions within specific timescales to meet service delivery requirements. This includes performance management of staff within all human resources policies and processes.
  9. To support the development of evidence based service delivery models to support high quality care working in partnerships with the Champions Teams.
  10. To support the establishment of integrated pathways to support breastfeeding and healthy nutrition

Clinical Practice Development

  1. To develop high quality breast feeding practice and develop new services within a multi-disciplinary framework.
  2. To facilitate staff to develop and improve practice. To innovate changes within the service and support staff to implement this into practice.
  3. To implement new clinical systems to increase access and reduce low engagement
  4. Support the implementation of and facilitate breastfeeding and infant nutrition training .
  5. To participate in clinical audit, screening programmes and research as necessary to support Benchmarking and the service local and national Clinical Governance agenda.
  6. To actively encourage and facilitate patient choice.  To introduce and use patient surveys in this service change and monitor the improvement to make adjustments in service change.

Clinical Governance, Service and Practice Development

  1. To contribute to the development of the Clinical Governance plan for the service. To develop innovative practice and implement evidence based health care within integrated children’s services
  2. To monitor the quality of the service via the auditing of standards.  To lead the implementation of audit, including the development of data collection and the presentation of results, of research and evidence based practice within the service.
  3. To support staff to provide effective safeguarding practice within national and local policies and procedures.
  4. To identify areas of risk and develop and monitor action plans to control risks.
  5. To deal with complaints as per the policy and share learning from these and near misses.  To work collaboratively with education and social services to ensure that any managerial, professional practice and service developments are implemented effectively, thereby supporting the needs of the population of Croydon.
  6. To understand the implications of ongoing changes within the NHS and how this affects service provision.
  7. To access relevant learning and development needs which meet Trust requirements and ensure compliance with NMC guidelines for revalidation.

Communications

  1. To facilitate public and patient involvement in all areas of service delivery.
  2. To create, maintain and enhance effective working relationships within and across the teams.
  3. To create and maintain effective working relationships with other disciplines within Croydon Health Services.
  4. To maintain accurate and up to date manual and electronic records, as well as collecting and recording activity, monitoring data, care aims and other commissioning requirements, in accordance with Trust and NMC policies and guidelines.
  5. Attend regular team meetings to assist in maintaining effective communication networks both written and verbal informing senior staff of all matters outside role and competence.
  6. To communicate and facilitate effective working partnership with patients, colleagues and other statutory and voluntary agencies where appropriate, receiving, interpreting and presenting complex and sensitive information.

Other Duties

  1. To participate in the Trust’s staff development and performance review.
  2. To be computer literate, able to confidently use a variety of software packages to facilitate delivery of training packages and for data retrieval and appraisal.
  3. To ensure that the team’s equipment and supplies are stored, maintained and used in accordance with manufacturers’ and Trust guidelines related to medical devices.

Valuing Diversity and Promoting Equality

  1. To be responsible for ensuring that all people met during the course of the job are treated with dignity and respect, given equality of opportunity, and are not discriminated against or disadvantaged.
  2. The post holder will be expected at all times to work within the Trusts Equal Opportunities Policy and be responsible for promoting and participating equality and diversity.

Croydon Health Services is a smoke-free Trust

Smoking is not permitted on Trust premises or grounds or in any Croydon Health Services owned vehicle.  Staff are not permitted to smoke openly in uniform and staff making home visits will be protected from passive smoking. Taking smoking breaks during paid working hours is not permitted.

Substantial Access to Children or Vulnerable Adults

  1. This post is deemed to have substantial access to children/vulnerable adults and the Trust is required to carry out a check on the possible criminal background of the successful candidate with the local Police.
  2. The post is also exempt from Section 4(2) of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 by virtue of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exception Orders) 1975.
  3. All applicants are therefore required to disclose, on their application form, a list of all possible convictions and cautions.
  4. An Enhanced CRB Disclosure is required.
  5. Safe Guarding Children and Vulnerable Adults: To comply with NHS Croydon’s (CCHS) Safe Guarding Children and Vulnerable Adults Policies, Protocols and Procedures
  6. This job description is a reflection of the current position and may change in emphasis or detail in the light of subsequent developments in consultation with the post holder.

General

  1. To work in accordance with the Trust’s 'Here for You' standards to consistently demonstrate the behaviors required to fulfill the promises we have made to the people of Croydon. These promises, developed with our patients, careers and staff help us deliver the pledges in the NHS Constitution and our own corporate objectives.
  2. The postholder is required to carry out his/her role in accordance with the organisation “here for you” promises, standards and behaviors, ensuring that colleagues and the people we serve feel cared for, feel in safe hands, feel confident in their treatment, feel we value their time, and feel that our service continues to improve all the time
  3. To ensure that Croydon Healthcare Services Trust’s policies and procedures are adhered to.
  4. To have responsibility for the Health, Safety and Welfare of self and others and to comply at all times with the requirements of the Health and Safety Regulations and the Trust’s Health and Safety policies and procedures.
  5. To ensure confidentiality at all times, only releasing confidential information obtained during the course of employment to those acting in an official capacity in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act and its amendments.
  6. To work in accordance with the Trust’s policies to eliminate unlawful discrimination and promote equality and diversity in the workplace. To positively promote at all times equality of opportunity in service delivery and employment in accordance with Trust policies, regardless of age, disability, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, gender, religion, belief, sexual orientation or domestic circumstances.
  7. To adhere to the Trust Infection Control Policy, procedures and guidelines.
  8. To comply with the Trust’s Safe Guarding Children and Vulnerable Adults policies, procedures and protocols. Ensure you are familiar and comply with local protocols and systems for information sharing.
  1. Know the appropriate contact numbers and required reporting lines.
  2. Participate in required training and supervision.
  3. Comply with required professional boundaries and codes of conduct
  4. To undertake such other duties as may be reasonably required from time to time as are consistent with the responsibilities of the post.

 

This job description is not an exhaustive document, but is a reflection of the current position. The job holder may from time to time be asked to undertake other reasonable duties. Any change will be made in discussion with the job holder in light of service needs.

Person specification

Education/ Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • • Registered Health Visitor
  • • IBCLC (International board certified lactation consultant)
  • • UNICEF breastfeeding Management Course
  • • Practice Assessor and Practice Supervisor • Breastfeeding/lactation course • Breastfeeding counselling course
Desirable criteria
  • • Coaching/Teaching qualification • Prescribing course or a willingness to undertake

Experience

Essential criteria
  • • Experience of Leadership and line management • Experience of managing change • Experience of working within a community setting • Experience of working with a team environment • Experience of working in a diverse community setting

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • • Broad Knowledge of breastfeeding and infant nutrition informed by current research • Knowledge and application of UNICEF baby Friendly accreditation • Knowledge of the Healthy Child Programme • Knowledge of the Current HV service Model • Broad knowledge of the public health context for breastfeeding, infant nutrition and health weights • Knowledge of Safeguarding children and adults • Knowledge of clinical governance and audit
Desirable criteria
  • • Broad Knowledge of breastfeeding and infant nutrition informed by current research
  • • Knowledge of the Current HV service Model • Broad knowledge of the public health context for breastfeeding, infant nutrition and health weights

Other skills and competencies

Essential criteria
  • • Demonstrates leadership in practice
  • • Current knowledge of local and national policies informing health and social care
  • • IT skills • Excellent written skills
Desirable criteria
  • • Demonstrates leadership in practice
  • • Current knowledge of local and national policies informing health and social care

Additional

Essential criteria
  • Car Driver/Car User and access to a Car

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Trust IDCapital Nurse, LondonNo smoking policyLondon Living Wage is a voluntary commitment made by employers, who can become accredited with the Living Wage FoundationAge positiveImproving working livesDisability confident committed

Applicant requirements

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.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Agnes Matturi
Job title
Operational Lead
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07721010965
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