A Delivery Middle East

I am currently employed as Delivery Suite Coordinator within the trust that I trained, reflecting my particular passion for care of women in labour. I received a First Class Honors in Midwifery Studies BSc from Northumbria University in February 2017. My motivation for the role is my passion for care of women in labour, the dynamics of Delivery Suite activity, enthusiasm for support of colleagues, desire to continuously review services to implement and support change, and above all, to ensure quality and equality of care for all women and families.

It was my lifelong ambition to become a successful midwife, to offer personalised care, centred around women and their families and to advocate for women throughout one of the most significant journeys of their lives. My personal philosophy is one grounded in the belief that women are physiologically capable of birth, incorporating support, shared-decision-making, advocacy and empowerment. Having trained and worked within an obstetric-led unit, as a midwife, I have enjoyed the challenge of meeting needs of both low and high-risk women. As a coordinator I thrive on supporting colleagues to do the same, and being a fundamental part of the Multidisciplinary team. I enjoy working closely with midwives and obstetricians to deliver safe care that is, as much as possible, in accordance with women’s wishes. With that in mind, I now feel personally and professionally ready to undertake a new challenge. I am excited by the prospect of working in another country, and consider that I have invaluable experience upon which to draw in the role of Delivery Suite Coordinator.

Throughout the last two years as a Coordinator, I feel I have developed as a person and as a Midwife. I believe that at the point of entry into the profession, midwives identify areas of strength and passion; for me this is care in labour and the rapidly changing dynamics and pace of Delivery Suite. Clinically, I consider that my personal strengths are effective communication, multi-disciplinary team working and problem solving, amongst others. More latterly, I have developed skills and confidence around decision-making, complex interactions with patients and staff, and navigating challenges inevitably presented by an ever-changing public health service.

In my current role, I have been able to continue to consolidate and develop my midwifery skills and knowledge. I feel confident and competent within my own practice, gaining a great breadth of experience since qualification, and progression into a senior midwifery role, and therefore feel very able to support colleagues clinically. Close working relationships with the medical staff have offered further insight into the demands and expectations of the role of a Registrar. The role of Delivery Suite Coordinator requires operating at a heightened level of vigilance and accountability, similar to that of medical colleagues. I consider that I have a thorough understanding of this, and my experience of MDT working in the acute setting would lend itself to the role.

I understand the significance and impact of effective MDT working. Having insight into midwifery practices, management of the Delivery Suite and understanding of the role of the Registrar, I believe I can support staff with shared decision-making, considering the views and preferences of women and their families, to plan care appropriately and safely. Currently, I facilitate continuous review of women’s’ care by way of structure ward rounds, routine reviews, and escalation in the context of deviation from midwifery care. I understand the importance of clear pathways of escalation, where colleagues have concerns. I feel confident to raise concerns regarding patient safety where appropriate, and have experience of navigating complexities of this. I consider that I am approachable, able to quickly develop professional relationships with staff to facilitate appropriate escalation, ultimately aiming to achieve best possible outcomes with minimal delay. As a Coordinator, if concerns are escalated and not acted upon, I feel comfortable and able to seek an appropriate alternative opinion ensuring patient safety and mitigating risk where possible. In addition to obstetric colleagues, I feel strongly about work collaboratively with midwives, offering continuous clinical support to staff and practice development where required.

In preparation for my application for the role of Delivery Suite Coordinator I was involved in several projects. I volunteered my time to support the work of the Bereavement Midwife in development of Bereavement services. This involved development of new, clinically specific guidelines, incorporating the National Bereavement Care Pathway standards throughout. My thorough understanding of the pathways underpinning the new guidance allowed me to support staff in implementation of the changes, and delivery of high quality bereavement care. In addition, I completed the components required to achieve bereavement advocacy which I believe would be invaluable and transferable to the role. I have experience of gaining consent for post mortem from a bereaved family, understand the importance of avoiding consent bias and that preventing delays, and ensuring continuity will improve experiences and outcomes for families.

I undertook Birth Trauma training, allowing me to support the Birth Reflection and Perinatal Mental Health service. This training was life changing, and I consider this one of the most valuable CPD activities I have completed. The training, and ongoing support of families in Birth Reflection Clinic, has forced me to consider many aspects of the care provided by all maternity staff. It has influenced my practice in a positive way, specifically careful consideration of ways we communicate verbally, and non-verbally, involvement of patients in decisions, and the impact of outcomes on families. I appreciate, more than ever, the value of ‘getting it right’ for families during pregnancy and childbirth. I strive to incorporate principles of holistic midwifery practices into the provision of complex care where necessary. As a Coordinator, I hope to achieve equality in care provision by having experience of both midwifery and medicalised practices.

Since being appointed into my current role, I have supported the teaching faculty with the monthly Directorate Training Programme. Predominantly facilitating drills and simulations. I have participated in several audits, and understand their value in continuous reflection on practices. I have maintained skills learned on the NLS course that I attended in 2021 and 2023 and teach these on the DTP where required. I appreciate the value of ongoing continuous professional development and am committed to learning, in order to develop as a clinician. Midwifery is constantly changing and evolving. Change is pervasive within Maternity, particularly following recommendations from Saving Babies Lives and findings of The Ockendon Report. I appreciate that responses to change have important implications for implementation of evidence-based practices. I worked within my current trust throughout several significant periods of change. The merge with a neighboring trust in 2019 presented a host of challenges for both colleagues and patients. The Delivery Suite Coordinator is well situated to support staff with all aspects of, both, day to day and longer term change. I believe that I could continue to contribute to effective implementation of change in the role of Delivery Suite Coordinator by understanding responses, involving colleagues in planning and effective communication of change. I consider that I am receptive to change and hope to lead by example.

I continuously aim to support colleagues, both clinically and personally and believe that nurturing a culture of respect and openness is paramount. I aim to contribute to creating an environment within which staff feel safe to seek help and guidance. I have experience of managing staff in both acute situations, and line management scenarios. In my current trust, I have developed positive and supportive relationships with colleagues by way of direct clinical supervision, reflective discussion and encouragement. I support both midwifery and junior medical colleagues by way of clinical supervision and support and always aim to facilitate progress with confidence. Compassionate leadership is essential to ensuring staff feel supported and valued, and ultimately impact on patient safety.

On a more personal level, practicing as a midwife throughout the pandemic navigating the sudden and unexpected loss of my dad during this time, and other life challenges, has forced me to develop strength of character, requiring commitment and resilience. I have drawn upon my own personal experiences to support colleagues who are dealing with the inevitable hurdles of life, whilst remaining at or returning to work. I am flexible, committed and passionate about my profession. Midwifery and support of families in the context of childbirth represents stability, offers perspective and colleagues have been a comfort to me throughout otherwise tumultuous times of my life. I feel passionately about supporting colleagues to navigate difficulties in their own lives, and to feel supported in the context of the work environment. I will continue to strive to be the best midwife I can be, and to prioritise my colleagues, women and their families.

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