Centralised process for the recruitment of newly qualified midwives.
West Yorkshire and Harrogate Local Maternity & Neonatal System (WY&H LMNS) are following a centralised process for the recruitment of newly qualified midwives.
Roles will be advertised on NHS jobs by The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, on behalf of the six Trusts in the LMNS (Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust).
The job advert advert closed on 23 April 2023.
Please note applicants will not be required to complete a personal statement. However, there will be a small number of questions to evidence how you would meet some of the criteria outlined in the job specification. These will be included and scored as part of the interview process. Interviews are scheduled to take place face to face throughout May 2023.
For more information about the recruitment process please see a list of frequently asked questions on our website. If you have any further queries, please contact the LMNS PMO Team by emailing wyicb-wak.
Three Year Delivery Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Services
The Maternity and Neonatal Services three-year plan available to read here sets out how the NHS will make maternity and neonatal care safer, more personalised, and more equitable for women, babies, and families.
Virtual Pre-Application Events for the Newly Qualified Midwives.
The West Yorkshire and Harrogate Local Maternity System (WY&H LMS) are following a centralised process for the recruitment of newly qualified midwives. To support this a series of virtual pre-application recruitment events have been scheduled to provide applicants with an opportunity to find out more about the six hospital Trusts within the LMS. (Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust).
These events will provide an opportunity to hear more about what it would be like to work at each of the Trusts and help to inform decisions about where candidates may prefer to apply. These sessions will take place in advance of the applications opening. View the virtual pre-application events flyer here.
Video launched to support families with babies sleep safety
In light of the current cost of living crisis, the Lullaby Trust has expressed concern over the impact increasing social deprivation may have on the numbers of babies dying due to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Increased fuel costs can make it harder to maintain a comfortable temperature in your home, particularly during the colder months. A room temperature of 16-20°C – with light bedding or a lightweight, well-fitting baby sleep bag– is comfortable and safe for sleeping babies.
Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership have been working with parent education teams at Airedale Hospital and Bradford Royal Infirmary to launch a new video for parents and carers offering safer sleep advice.
Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership, Bradford Council and Community Action Bradford and District have launched a website with give trusted information, handy hints and tips to help lighten the load, and signpost to services to support if people are struggling. It includes information about government support, energy and bills, food resources, housing support, debt and gambling, savings, scams and safeguarding.
Once a Midwife, Always a Midwife
Are you ready to be someone’s first hello once again? If you are thinking about returning to midwifery in the NHS and want to know more about how to take those first steps, we are here to help and support you.
Few other roles will give you the same kind of fulfilment as midwifery and we would be delighted to welcome you back to the team caring for women at one of the most important times in their lives.
As a midwife with an active UK NMC registration, there is a range of support and advice available if now is the right time for you to return to your midwifery career in the NHS.
Your skills and experience are invaluable, and you would be returning to the NHS at a crucial time for maternity services. Following recent significant investment in maternity services, there are new diverse roles and opportunities that you may wish to explore. We are here to talk to you about the different types of roles that may be suited to you, including your preferred hours and location.
A career in midwifery can be emotionally and professionally rewarding and there are plenty of practical benefits, including some you may not have experienced before:
- One of the most generous pension schemes in the UK.
- Flexible working and opportunities to work part-time, helping to create a balance that suits you. Childcare support may also be available at some NHS trusts.
- At least 27 days holiday a year plus public holidays, and a standard working week of 37.5 hours.
- Additional support for professional development, helping you to feel confidence in your skills and achieve your career goals.
- A great emphasis on working in multidisciplinary teams, allowing you to work with experts from many different departments.
- Recent investment in pastoral care, education, training, and leadership and career development means the right support is in place for you personally and professionally, allowing opportunities for you to progress in your career and to thrive in the NHS.
We would like to hear about your reasons for leaving and will help you find a role that is right for you. We will make sure you have a personalised journey back into the clinical environment and a practice mentor will be on hand to support you. We will provide you with the training you need to return to frontline care with confidence.
You can find more information about returning to midwifery at https://
If you’re considering a return, we look forward to welcoming you back to the NHS. If now is not the right time, our door is always open and you can contact us at any time.
Maternity support worker celebration day, 24 November
Thursday 24 November was maternity support worker (MSW) celebration day. In support of this occasion the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Local Maternity and Neonatal System (WY&H LMNS) sent a special bulletin to all the MSWs across West Yorkshire along with a card of appreciation. Beverley Geary Director of Nursing-Designate, West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, shared a special message of thanks.
“To all our maternity support workers (MSWs) across the WY&H LMNS on maternity support worker celebration day we’d like to take this opportunity to recognise all of you and the work you do. Your hard work and dedication makes a huge difference to your colleagues, women and their families across West Yorkshire. MSWs are an integral part of the maternity workforce and play a very important role in maternity care and supporting midwives. Your commitment and hard work is very much appreciated especially during these ongoing challenging times for maternity and neonatal services. Thank you all and best wishes on this day of celebration.” Beverley Geary Director of Nursing-Designate, West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board
The West Yorkshire and Harrogate Local Maternity and Neonatal System
Since the start of the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Local Maternity System (WY&H LMS) there has been a close working with those working in and developing neonatal care. There is now a national mandate to strengthen those relationships by becoming ‘Local Maternity and Neonatal Systems’ (LMNS), the national team has provided guiding principles to support the work. The WY&H LMNS Board approved the notion of becoming the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Local Maternity and Neonatal System (and will now be known as this) the board also acknowledged the work that is required and supported this is written into the LMNS plan.
Talking about mental and emotional health during pregnancy and postnatal care – Yorkshire and the Humber
Pregnancy and the first year after having had a baby is a really important time for a women’s mental health. As part of their routine care through the NHS, health care providers should be considering emotional wellbeing as well as physical health. There are specialist services in place to support women during these times should you need them.
This work is being led by the Yorkshire & Humber Perinatal Mental Health Clinical Network. They would like to gain an understanding of women’s experiences and recollections of the conversations about your mental health and emotional wellbeing with midwives, health visitors and GP’s during the antenatal and postnatal period. They would like to gather this information in order to identify and learn from good practice and to identify areas for improvement that may impact on the prevention or identification of mental ill health and/or access to specialist services, as well as reducing stigma.
Link to the survey for women who are currently pregnant or have had a baby in the last 12 months in Yorkshire & Humber.
International Day of the Midwife 2022
International Day of the Midwife (IDM2022) is celebrated annually on 5 May and is a day that has been celebrated by midwives across the globe since 1992.
It is an opportunity to thank all our midwives, student midwives and maternity support workers for the care and compassion they provide to women and families across West Yorkshire and Harrogate.
A thank you from Beverley Geary, Director of Nursing
Beverley joined the Partnership in April 2022. She was most recently the Executive Chief Nurse at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, where she worked since March 2019. She has been a nurse for over 30 years and is dual trained in general and mental health nursing. She has worked in several acute providers across the region as a chief nurse, and has experience in education, quality governance and patient experience, which is at the heart of all we do.
Beverley’s message to all maternity colleagues…
“ Today, on International Day of the Midwife, I would like to thank all of our midwives, student midwives and maternity support workers for the care and compassion you provide to women and families across West Yorkshire and Harrogate. I would also like to recognise the wider maternity and neonatal teams who work with our midwifery services to provide safe personalised care, acknowledging that; the last couple of years have been extremely challenging for everyone in maternity and neonatal services.
Having recently joined the West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) as your Director of Nursing, I will be working with colleagues on all aspects of quality. Our Local Maternity System now sits within the new Clinical and Professional Directorate of the ICB; and I look forward to meeting many of you over the coming months and working together collectively to champion the midwifery agenda and improve the care and safety of women and families in our system. I hope you enjoy your local celebrations today.”
Beverley Geary, West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) Director of Nursing-Designate.
Newly qualified midwives join the LMS
During October and November over 100 newly qualified midwives began their midwifery careers in one of the six organisations across the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Local Maternity System (WY&H LMS). Since starting in their role, they have undertaken their Trust induction, their maternity induction and over the next 18-24 months will be supported by the Preceptorship Lead Midwife for their organisation to complete the WY&H LMS Preceptorship package becoming a more confident and competent autonomous professional.
Welcome to the LMS. Pictured to the right is a group photograph of some of our newly qualified midwives who have recently joined Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust.
Blog from the Programme Analyst for the LMS
Duncan Cooper (pictured to the right) is the Programme Analyst for the LMS. He joined the partnership on the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme and recently shared a blog about his role and how the LMS uses data. A very big thank you to Duncan for sharing this in our focused bulletin.
I joined the Partnership as my final placement on the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme. I’ve since remained within the Partnership as an information analyst where among other things I support the Local Maternity System (LMS) in developing its access and understanding of quality data. I’m proud of the input I’ve had in the LMS as we’ve come far in how we use data, and the journey continues to develop our insight.
When I joined the LMS in 2018, the LMS accessed a small amount of data that responded to national and regional mandated requirements, with few processes established for considering the data ourselves. You can read the full blog on the website.
Awareness weeks
We've recently highlighted some key weeks across the region.
Maternity Support Worker (MSW) week, 15 - 21 November 2021
Organised by the Roya; College of Midwives (RCM) the focus of this year’s MSW week is the development of MSWs and celebrating their integral role in maternity care. Maternity Support Workers (MSWs) and Maternity Care Assistants (MCA's) are vital members of the maternity team. They provide support not only to midwives, but to women and their families which is often specialist support such as parenting classes ahead of a baby being born, or specialist breastfeeding support.
Baby Week Leeds, 15 – 21 November 2021
Baby week Leeds ran for the sixth consecutive year. Baby Week is an initiative aimed at bringing sectors and services together to promote the ‘best start’ in life; support parents, carers and families; promote good health and wellbeing and celebrate babies! This year’s theme is ‘Strengths and Struggles’. You can visit the baby week website.
International Day of the Midwife 2021 , 5 May 2021
For International Day of the Midwife this year the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) took stock of all the incredible work midwives and maternity staff have provided during a global crisis. Over the past year, midwives, maternity support workers and student midwives have met extraordinary circumstances and contined to provide excellent care to women and their families.
The Local Maternity System (LMS) as part of the West Yorkshire & Harrogate Health and Care Partnership wanted to give the International Day of the Midwife 2021 #IDM2021 the recognition it deserved and to raise the profile of the great work undertaken each and every day by the maternity workforce.
A podcast on the follow the data: invest in midwives theme is available by clicking this link. This features Continuity of Carer Midwives; Beth from Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, Abbie from Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Jo from Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust. It also features Sarah Bennett, Senior Midwife for the Local Maternity Service (LMS) and Duncan Cooper, Data Analyst for the LMS. The theme for this year’s IDM was very apt as our data and evidence are so important in helping us to make informed decisions as a maternity system and you can hear more about this on the podcast. A case study can be found here.
Co-produced resources
By working together with midwives and women the Local Maternity System (LMS) has co-produced two new transformational resources for use across the partnership. There include a postnatal care and support booklet and a bereavement postnatal care and support booklet.
Maternity Services Community Action Phase 2 – The Community Action Network and public insight
Here is the report for the second phase of the Maternity Services project - the community action network and their work with the public, along with the supporting co-production work. This follows on from the phase one insights from health professionals who work in maternity services, the next stage strategic approach included the setting up of a Maternity Services Community Action Network.
Maternity Services Community Action: Phase 2 – The Community Action Network and public insight
In the report there is an overview of the work done to date and main findings per yet to be heard group. There is also a communications and engagement toolkit document which summarises all of the main findings and recommendations on messaging and media. This is intended to be a valuable tool for the future design of communications to these groups. The report includes co-produced ideas and the recommended plan to pilot four interventions.
Exciting new digital tool launched for expectant mums and their families
“My Pregnancy Journey” contains information about the choices available to pregnant women and their families, helping them to choose the provider of their antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal care, and to make decisions about their care at these times.
My Pregnancy Journey is a digital tool that can be accessed on a variety of platforms, such as laptops, tablets and smartphones. It includes a BrowseAloud function and a Personalised Care Planning facility – for women to record their needs and choices.
West Yorkshire and Harrogate Local Maternity System Preceptorship
The West Yorkshire and Harrogate Local Maternity System (LMS) has engaged with newly qualified midwives, using a survey, to hear about their experiences and the support received during the preceptorship period. The results of the survey informed the work we did to develop a common preceptorship package for the LMS and introduce preceptorship lead midwives in each Trust to support the adoption of the LMS preceptorship. The survey will be repeated in the future to help the LMS to evaluate the effectiveness of the preceptorship package and the preceptorship lead midwives.
The LMS preceptorship package has been shared with the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) with an article about this work featuring on the RCM website. To read the RCM article click here.
West Yorkshire and Harrogate Local Maternity System - What Matters to Me?
The WY&H Local Maternity System has been engaging with staff around the impact of maternity transformation, particularly models of care – continuity of carer, through a circulation of a What Matters to Me survey.
As part of this work the LMS have trained What Matters to Me Champions to increase the support offered to staff. Some of the initiatives implemented as a result of the survey include the introduction of Greatix and You’ve Been Mugged (staff recognition initiatives) and the Big Breakfast.