Specialist Midwife for Maternal Mental Health

This is an exciting opportunity to join our newly established Maternal Mental Health Service (MMHS), funded by NHS England, and help shape the future of trauma-informed maternity care across County Durham and Darlington. As the Specialist Midwife for Maternal Mental Health, you will provide specialist support to women and birthing people experiencing mental health difficulties associated with pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period. This includes supporting women who have experienced birth trauma, perinatal loss, fear of childbirth (tokophobia), or other psychological difficulties related to their maternity experience. Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, you will undertake holistic assessments, develop individualised care plans and coordinate care across maternity, neonatal, perinatal mental health, primary care and community services. You will work closely with women and their families to ensure they receive compassionate, person-centred care that meets their individual needs. A key aspect of the role is acting as the link between maternity services and mental health services, ensuring women experience seamless care and timely access to specialist support. You will attend multidisciplinary meetings, contribute to complex case discussions and work collaboratively with colleagues and partner agencies to improve outcomes for women, babies and families. Alongside your clinical role, you will support the wider maternity workforce by providing advice, education and guidance on maternal mental health, trauma-informed care and referral pathways. You will help increase staff confidence in recognising and responding to psychological distress and contribute to developing a culture where emotional wellbeing is recognised as an integral part of maternity care. You will also contribute to the ongoing development of this new service through quality improvement, audit, evaluation and implementation of evidence-based practice. Working with colleagues across the Trust and wider system, you will help develop pathways, identify opportunities for improvement and ensure the service continues to meet NHS England standards and deliver high-quality care. This role offers the opportunity to make a genuine difference to the lives of women and families while helping to establish an innovative service that places compassionate, equitable and trauma-informed care at the heart of every maternity journey. Job description Job responsibilities This is an exciting opportunity to join our newly established Maternal Mental Health Service (MMHS), funded by NHS England, and help shape the future of trauma-informed maternity care across County Durham and Darlington. As the Specialist Midwife for Maternal Mental Health, you will provide specialist support to women and birthing people experiencing mental health difficulties associated with pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period. This includes supporting women who have experienced birth trauma, perinatal loss, fear of childbirth (tokophobia), or other psychological difficulties related to their maternity experience. Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, you will undertake holistic assessments, develop individualised care plans and coordinate care across maternity, neonatal, perinatal mental health, primary care and community services. You will work closely with women and their families to ensure they receive compassionate, person-centred care that meets their individual needs. A key aspect of the role is acting as the link between maternity services and mental health services, ensuring women experience seamless care and timely access to specialist support. You will attend multidisciplinary meetings, contribute to complex case discussions and work collaboratively with colleagues and partner agencies to improve outcomes for women, babies and families. Alongside your clinical role, you will support the wider maternity workforce by providing advice, education and guidance on maternal mental health, trauma-informed care and referral pathways. You will help increase staff confidence in recognising and responding to psychological distress and contribute to developing a culture where emotional wellbeing is recognised as an integral part of maternity care. You will also contribute to the ongoing development of this new service through quality improvement, audit, evaluation and implementation of evidence-based practice. Working with colleagues across the Trust and wider system, you will help develop pathways, identify opportunities for improvement and ensure the service continues to meet NHS England standards and deliver high-quality care. This role offers the opportunity to make a genuine difference to the lives of women and families while helping to establish an innovative service that places compassionate, equitable and trauma-informed care at the heart of every maternity journey.