Job summary
Join us in shaping a new Maternal Mental Health Service at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust. We are looking for an enthusiastic and compassionate Specialist Midwife to play a key role in delivering our new NHS England-funded Maternal Mental Health Service, supporting women and birthing people experiencing birth trauma, perinatal loss, fear of childbirth and other maternity-related psychological difficulties. Working within a multidisciplinary team, you will provide expert assessment, care coordination and trauma-informed support, while helping to develop pathways, educate colleagues and improve access to specialist care. This is an exciting opportunity to influence a brand-new service and make a lasting difference to women, babies and families across County Durham and Darlington.
Main duties of the job
As the Specialist Midwife for Maternal Mental Health, you will provide expert, trauma-informed care and support for women and birthing people experiencing mental health difficulties related to pregnancy and childbirth. You will undertake specialist assessments, coordinate care across maternity, neonatal, mental health and community services, and develop personalised care plans to improve outcomes for women, babies and families. Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, you will act as a key link between services, provide advice and education to maternity staff, contribute to service development, quality improvement and audit, and support the implementation of evidence-based pathways. You will play a vital role in ensuring women receive compassionate, coordinated and equitable care throughout the perinatal period.
About us
If you are being interviewed you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager.
You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks.
We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes.
We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented.
Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents.
Over reliance on AI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances of success.
For the most up-to-date information on visa requirements and eligibility, please check online to determine whether you can apply.
Details
- Date posted: 22 July 2026
- Pay scheme: Agenda for change
- Band: Band 7
- Salary: £49,387 to £56,515 a year Per Annum
- Contract: Permanent
- Working pattern: Full-time
- Reference number: C9439-2627-1304
- Job locations: Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust, Hollyhurst Road, Darlington, County Durham, DL3 6HX, United Kingdom, University Hospital Of North Durham, North Road, DURHAM, DH1 5TW, United Kingdom
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.
Person specification
Experience
Essential
- Experience working as a midwife across pregnancy and postnatal care.
- Experience supporting women with complex psychosocial or mental health needs in the perinatal period.
- Experience working within a multidisciplinary team.
- Experience contributing to care planning for women with additional needs.
- Experience liaising with other services and agencies to support women and families.
Desirable
- Experience working within a specialist maternal or perinatal mental health service.
- Experience supporting women experiencing birth trauma, tokophobia or perinatal loss.
- Experience delivering training or education to staff.
- Experience contributing to audit, service evaluation or quality improvement activity.
- Experience working with diverse communities and addressing health inequalities.
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Midwife with current NMC registration.
- Evidence of continuing professional development.
- Relevant post-registration training in perinatal or maternal mental health, trauma-informed care or safeguarding.
- Willingness to undertake further specialist training relevant to the Maternal Mental Health Service.
Desirable
- Additional qualifications or training in perinatal mental health, psychological trauma, bereavement care or infant mental health.
- Training in supporting women following birth trauma or perinatal loss.
- Teaching or mentorship qualification
Special Requirements
Essential
- Commitment to compassionate and inclusive service delivery.
- Willingness to undertake training.
- Commitment to equality and diversity.
- Willingness to travel across sites if required.
- Flexible approach to working.
Statutory Registration
Essential
- UK NMC PIN
Special Skills & Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of maternal mental health difficulties and their impact on women, babies and families.
- Knowledge of trauma-informed care and its application in maternity services.
- Knowledge of safeguarding processes for adults and babies.
- Understanding of the role of multidisciplinary working in supporting perinatal mental health.
- Knowledge of local and national guidance relating to maternal mental health and maternity services.
- Understanding of factors affecting access to and engagement with services.
- Ability to undertake holistic assessments and contribute to care planning for women with complex needs.
- Ability to communicate sensitively with women, families and professionals regarding complex or distressing issues.
- Ability to build therapeutic relationships and provide supportive interventions within scope of practice.
- Ability to work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team.
- Ability to coordinate care across services.
- Ability to provide advice and support to colleagues.
- Good organisational and time-management skills.
- Ability to maintain accurate clinical records.
- Competent IT skills including use of electronic records systems.
- Ability to work autonomously within scope of practice.
- Ability to manage competing demands and prioritise workload.
- Ability to work flexibly across clinical settings.
- Ability to maintain professional boundaries.
- Ability to manage emotionally challenging situations.
- Ability to recognise and escalate risk appropriately.
- Ability to contribute positively to team working and service development.
Desirable
- Knowledge of NHS England Maternal Mental Health Service guidance.
- Knowledge of parentinfant relationships and attachment.
- Knowledge of local care pathways and community support services.
- Awareness of equality, diversity and inclusion issues affecting access to care.
- Skills in delivering training or education to staff.
- Skills in supporting reflective practice or debrief discussions.
- Experience supporting psychologically informed or trauma-informed practice.
- Experience presenting information to groups.
- Ability to contribute to service improvement initiatives.
- Ability to support development of pathways and guidance.
- Ability to support staff wellbeing and psychologically safe environments.
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Specialist Midwife for Maternal Mental Health with County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust in Darlington, North East and Yorkshire, England. It is listed as a Band 7 Midwife role. The advertised salary is £49,387 to £56,515 a year. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 12 Aug 2026.
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