East London Midwives Being Given Greater Choice About Where They Work

Midwives already working or thinking about a career in east London can look forward to exciting opportunities to choose where they work and to gain a breadth of experience in different settings from community to labour ward, post-natal and birthing centres thanks to a new recruitment and retention programme.

With a focus on continuity of care for mothers and babies, the East London Midwifery Recruitment and Retention Programme gives newly qualified and existing midwives, not just from east London but across the UK, the opportunity to work across all three major acute Trusts in the area, as well as in the community through new provider Neighbourhood Midwives, helping to shape their careers but also develop the skills and knowledge to deliver better care.

A new campaign, Careers Are Born in East London, recently launched by the East London Local Maternity Service aims to encourage midwives to come and work in east London.

A dedicated website with information not just about the programme, but also key worker accommodation, places to go and things to do in east London has been developed.

Barking Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals (BHRUT), Barts Health NHS Trust, Homerton University Hospital and Neighbourhood Midwives, which operate in the borough of Waltham Forest, have formed the ELLMS as a direct response to the Five Year Forward View and to support the implementation of the Better Births strategy.

Wendy Matthews, Director of Midwifery at BHRUT and co-chair of the ELLMS said, “We are rewriting the script on how we do things and transforming our maternity services so they truly and consistently meet the needs of the people.

We are really proud of the fact that east London is the only place in the country that is delivering such innovation and see it as a real opportunity to further enhance what are already some of the best maternity units in London.

Anyone thinking about starting a career in midwifery should definitely think about coming to east London.”

For more information on the East London Midwifery Recruitment and Retention Programme, visit the  East London Midwifery Careers Info Pack