Whsct_Infant Feeding Practitioner (Band 6)

Western Health and Social Care Trust; Derry/Londonderry; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Western Health and Social Care Trust is seeking an Infant Feeding Practitioner (Band 6) in Londonderry to lead breastfeeding support initiatives across the Health Visiting Team. The role involves postnatal and antenatal interventions, promoting UNICEF Baby Friendly standards and coordinating education within the community.

You will work with the Infant Feeding Leads to protect, promote and normalise breastfeeding, attend events, and help maintain accurate parent resources online.

Responsibilities

• Participate in the delivery of early intervention breastfeeding support to mothers recently discharged from hospital by telephone and by home visit, identifying breastfeeding difficulties and providing guidance to overcome challenges.
• Participate in antenatal education to families to promote breastfeeding and ensure informed feeding choices.
• Attend health and community events to promote normalisation of breastfeeding within the local community.
• Facilitate and promote breastfeeding support groups encouraging peer support among breastfeeding mothers.
• Support the community infant feeding lead in delivering staff training.
• Liaise with Breastfeeding Champions to develop and support their role within the Health Visiting Team.
• Assist with UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) audits of staff/mothers as directed by the infant feeding leads.
• Continue to develop skills in breastfeeding support, including undertaking the IBCLC or related breastfeeding modules if not already achieved.
• Use Excel and Microsoft Teams to record work completed and create presentations to share breastfeeding education with other professionals.
• Support integration of breastfeeding into broader health development initiatives.

Job description

Infant Feeding Practitioner (Band 6)

Department / Directorate: Health Visiting Team / Children & Families

Location: Shantallow Health Centre, Londonderry

Job summary

The Post Holder will work in partnership with the Infant Feeding Leads to protect, promote, support and normalise breastfeeding as set out in the Northern Ireland Breast‑feeding Strategy 2013‑2023. The main purpose of this post is to deliver service interventions to increase breastfeeding initiation and duration rates in WHSCT through:

• Supporting WHSCT with maintaining UNICEF Baby Friendly Accreditation and support Trust Sure Start Projects to maintain and/or achieve UNICEF Baby Friendly Accreditation.
• Participating in multi-disciplinary and multi-agency partnership working on breastfeeding initiatives within and outside the NHS.
• Early intervention in the postnatal period by offering breastfeeding information, advice and support to women within agreed pathways and criteria.
• Maintaining the Infant feeding page on the Trust website to ensure continued provision of accurate, accessible and up to date published and online parent resources.
• Participating in activities to promote breastfeeding in the public domain, such as World Breastfeeding Week. Liaising with the Trust communication and Health Improvement teams to promote these on Trust social media.

Key responsibilities

• Participate in the delivery of early intervention breastfeeding support to mothers recently discharged from hospital by telephone and by home visit. Ensuring the appropriate identification of breastfeeding difficulties and the skills and knowledge to support families to overcome such challenges.
• Participate in the delivery antenatal education to families to promote and encourage breastfeeding and ensuring that families are making informed feeding choices.
• Attend health and community related events to promote the normalisation of breastfeeding within the local community.
• Facilitate and promote breastfeeding support groups encouraging peer support among breastfeeding mothers.
• Support community infant feeding lead in the delivery of staff training.
• Liaise with Breastfeeding Champions, developing and supporting their role within the Health Visiting Team.
• Assist with UNICEF UK BFI audits of staff/mothers as directed by the infant feeding leads.
• Continue to develop skills and knowledge in relation to breastfeeding support, willing to undertake the International Board Certificate of Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) or the Breastfeeding module delivered by Queens University of Belfast, School of Nursing & Midwifery, if not already achieved.
• Appropriate use of using excel and Microsoft Team channels to reflect work completed alongside creating presentations to provide breastfeeding education and share learning to other professionals.
• Support the integration of Breastfeeding into broader health development initiatives.
• Assist with UNICEF UK BFI audits of staff/mothers as directed by the infant feeding leads.
• In partnership with the Infant Feeding Leads, support existing and develop new systems, to ensure the UNICEF Baby Friendly Standards are implemented/maintained.
• Strong computer literacy and confidence in using excel and Microsoft Team channels. Ability to create presentations to provide breastfeeding education and share learning to other professionals.
• Any other duties within the broad scope of the post as agreed with the Manager.

General requirements

• Ensure the Trust’s policy on equality of opportunity is promoted through his/her own actions and those of any staff for whom he/she has responsibility.
• Co-operate fully with the implementation of the Trust's Health and Safety arrangements, reporting any accidents/incidents/equipment defects to his/her manager, and maintaining a clean, uncluttered and safe environment for patients/clients, members of the public and staff.
• Ensuring client confidentiality and GDPR processes are maintained at all times.
• Adhere at all times to all Trust policies/codes of conduct, including for example: Smoke Free policy, IT Security Policy and Code of Conduct, standards of attendance, appearance and behaviour.
• Contribute to ensuring the highest standards of environmental cleanliness within your designated area of work.
• Co‑operate fully with regard to Trust policies and procedures relating to infection prevention and control.
• All employees of the WHSCT are legally responsible for all records held, created or used as part of their business within the WHSCT including patients/clients, corporate and administrative records whether paper‑based or electronic and also including emails. All such records are public records and are accessible to the general public, with limited exceptions, under the Freedom of Information act 2000 the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Employees are required to be conversant with the WHSCT policy and procedures on records management and to seek advice if in doubt.
• Take responsibility for his/her own ongoing learning and development, in order to maximise his/her potential and continue to meet the demands of the post.
• Represent the Trust’s commitment to providing the highest possible standard of service to patients/clients and members of the public, by treating all those with whom he/she comes into contact in the course of work, in a pleasant, courteous and respectful manner.
• The HSC Code of conduct sets out the standards of conduct expected of all staff in the Western Health & Social Care Trust and presents standards of conduct and behaviours required during and after employment with the Trust. Professional staff are expected to follow the code of conduct for their own professions as well as this code.
• Staff members are expected to involve patients, clients, carers and the wider community were relevant, in developing, planning and delivering our services in a meaningful and effective way, as part of the Trust’s ongoing commitment to Personal and Public Involvement (PPI).
• Employees must at all times abide by Trust policies and procedures and the terms of their contract of employment. They must conduct themselves with impartiality, integrity, objectivity and honesty and maintain high standards of personal and professional accountability.
• Employees must ensure that they comply with any risk management responsibilities specific to their post, and as set out in the Trust’s Risk Management Strategy.
• The Trust is committed to the development and implementation of systems under Integrated Governance to ensure continuous improvement in the quality of services provided. Employees will be expected to co‑operate and work with such systems.
• All information concerning patients and staff must be held in the strictest confidence and may not be divulged to any unauthorized person.
• Employees must ensure that equality and human rights issues are addressed within the post holder’s area of responsibility in accordance with the Trust’s Equality Scheme.

Benefits

• Annual Leave and General Public holidays: On appointment 27 days plus 10 public holidays.
• After 5 years service 29 days plus 10 public holidays.
• After 10 years service 33 days plus 10 public holidays.
• HSC Pension Scheme / HPSS Superannuation Scheme – Employees are automatically enrolled in the Health & Social Care Pension Scheme upon taking up employment within the HSCNI. Further information may be obtained from the HSC Pension Service Website at www.hscpensions.hscni.net. Applicants who are already members of the HPSS Superannuation Scheme may continue with their current arrangements.
• Human Resource Policies – The Trust offers a wide range of Human Resource Policies to underpin the value that is placed on our staff such as a range of Work Life Balance/Flexible Working Policies; Child Care Voucher Scheme etc. Further information is available on Trust website.

Salary

The successful candidate can expect to be placed at the minimum point of the pay scale, although a higher starting salary, within the range of the pay band may be available if the person appointed has experience relevant & equivalent to the post. If the successful candidate is an existing HSC employee moving to a higher band, AFC Pay on Promotion will apply.

Flexible working

Employees are able to request Flexible Working from the 1st day of their employment. A number of flexible working provisions are offered by all HSC Organisations including Full‑time working, Fixed working patterns, Part‑time working, Flexi‑time, Compressed/elongated hours, Average hours working patterns, Term‑time working, Job‑share or Homeworking for some or all of the working pattern, depending on the role being undertaken. Successful applicants are encouraged to discuss with their manager what Flexible Working provisions may be available in the role they are taking up, prior to commencing employment, to help them achieve a positive Work/Life Balance.

Health assessment

Successful applicants may be required to attend for a Health Assessment.

Equal opportunities

The TRUST IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER.

Applicants who are excluded from this position are: