Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose:

The Maternity Lifestyle Advisor will work as part of the Maternity and Public Health teams in our Blooming Healthy Service to support pregnant women and their families in adopting and maintaining healthy lifestyle behaviours. They will deliver a high quality individually tailored, empathetic advisory support to service users, their families and staff with minimal indirect supervision.

The role focuses on facilitating engagement and providing specialist advice, guidance and motivational support on nutrition and physical activity to empower people in making informed choices about their health and lifestyle with the aim of improving outcomes for mothers and babies with specific reference to pregnant women with a body mass index above 30. Alongside our Maternity Tobacco Dependency Advisors you will also support with smoking cessation support during pregnancy for pregnant smokers and any household members who smoke.

Key Duties:

Provide Support Across Multiple Settings:

• Deliver personalized support to clients either one-to-one, in group settings, or through telephone/virtual appointments, as appropriate. Support will be provided in a range of settings, including clients' homes, hospitals, and community locations, ensuring flexibility and accessibility for clients. Tailor the approach based on the clients needs, environment, and available resources.

Caseload Management and Maternal Health Support:

• Manage a caseload of clients, providing dedicated support to individuals participating in the Blooming Healthy programme and/or Smoking Cessation program. Develop tailored plans for clients, track their progress, and provide regular follow-up to ensure they remain engaged and supported in their health journey. Offer both short- and long-term support based on individual needs and goals.

Collaborate with Public Health Midwife:

• Work in close partnership with the Public Health Midwife to promote healthy weight gain during pregnancy. Provide practical, emotional, and psychological support to pregnant women, focusing on healthy weight management. Offer a sensitive and compassionate approach, recognizing the unique challenges and pressures faced by pregnant women, particularly those struggling with weight-related issues.

Engage Vulnerable and Hard-to-Reach Clients:

• Engage with vulnerable and sometimes hard-to-reach clients, including those who may be resistant or reluctant to seek help. Provide empathetic support to pregnant women who have accepted help with weight management and/or smoking cessation. Work as part of the wider multi-disciplinary team to offer comprehensive care, ensuring that clients feel empowered, supported, and understood.

Support Behaviour Change Using Motivational Interviewing;

• Utilize motivational interviewing and other evidence-based techniques to support behaviour change. Empower clients to identify their own motivations for making healthier lifestyle choices, helping them set realistic, achievable goals. Provide continuous support, reinforcement, and guidance to foster sustainable, long-term behaviour changes related to smoking cessation, weight management, and overall health.

Undertake Health and Social Assessments:

• Conduct thorough health and social assessments for pregnant women, including those who are particularly vulnerable (e.g., low socioeconomic status, mental health challenges, etc.). Use these assessments to understand the unique circumstances and needs of each client. Based on the assessment, signpost clients to relevant local services that can offer additional support, such as mental health services, housing support, financial aid, or addiction services.

Provide Tailored Information and Guidance:

• Offer tailored information and practical advice on weight management, smoking cessation, healthy eating, and physical activity, based on the individuals health and social assessment. Address barriers to change and provide the necessary tools to overcome challenges, ensuring clients have a clear understanding of how to make healthier choices.

• Take responsibility for independently motivating and supporting individuals to manage and sustain positive behaviour change. Provide personalised one-to-one guidance and ongoing support to embed lasting lifestyle improvements, with a clear focus on achieving long-term health outcomes.

Promote Smoking Cessation and Reduce Exposure to Second hand Smoke:

• Deliver targeted interventions to support pregnant women and their families to stop smoking, including access to nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), regulated vaping products, and participation in the National Smoke-Free Incentive Scheme. Interventions will also focus on reducing exposure to second hand smoke within the home and community. Appropriate tools, evidence-based resources, and timely referrals to specialist smoking cessation services will be provided to safeguard the health and well-being of both the mother and the unborn child.

Medicines Management and Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT):

• Demonstrate responsibility for adhering to medicines management policies, Standard Operating Procedures, and clinical governance requirements relating to the provision of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT). Maintain current knowledge of guidance supporting the direct supply of NRT to pregnant women who are seeking to stop smoking, and ensure its safe, effective, and appropriate use. Practice in accordance with best evidence and relevant legislation, escalating concerns and seeking clinical advice when required.

Support Breastfeeding and Informed Feeding Choices:

• Promote and provide guidance for breastfeeding in line with UNICEF BFI standards.
• Support families in making informed feeding decisions, offering unbiased, evidence-based information on all options.
• Deliver culturally sensitive, non-judgmental care that protects and encourages breastfeeding.

Promote the Uptake of the Healthy Start Scheme

• Encourage eligible families to access the Healthy Start Scheme.
• Support families in using the Healthy Start card, including for Healthy Start vitamins.
• Provide education on the benefits of supplements for maternal and child health.

Increase Vaccination Uptake in Pregnancy

• Educate pregnant women on recommended vaccines (e.g., flu, whooping cough, RSV) and their benefits for maternal and infant health.
• Provide guidance, reassurance, and referrals to support timely vaccination.

Professional

• To maintain a professional attitude at all times.
• To promote a positive attitude for the profession and the Trust within which you are working.
• To be aware of personal and professional development.
• To attend team meetings, courses and conferences as appropriate to the service and individual development.
• To promote consistent and effective communication with other agencies and departments both internal and external to the maternity services
• To be conversant and comply with Trust Policies and regulations, and attend compulsory lectures as instructed.
• Adhere at all times to uniform policy.
• To act upon and escalate appropriately any concerns relating to welfare and safeguarding.
• Keep detailed, contemporaneous records of client interactions, interventions, and health outcomes. Ensure accurate documentation to track progress, inform future interventions, and monitor the impact on reducing health inequalities
• To be familiar with the Trust Information Technology systems, to assist in clerical duties including input of data following appropriate training
• Manage own time and resources and work on own initiative

Contribute to Service Development and Improvement

• Share insights from direct work with families to inform service development.
• Collaborate with healthcare professionals and participate in multi-agency working groups.
• Use feedback and observations to support the ongoing improvement of service delivery

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Experience of providing healthcare advice or promoting healthy lifestyle advice to patients or members of the public.
• Experience of working in health, social care, and other support roles in direct contact with people, families, or carers (in a paid or voluntary capacity).
• Experience of providing help, support and/or counselling on either a one-to-one basis or as part of a group setting.
• Experience of working within multi-professional team environments.

Desirable

• Experience of developing and delivering successful health promotion interventions.
• Experience of delivering tobacco dependence treatment.
• Experience of working with vulnerable people.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• An understanding of human behaviour that contributes to making healthy lifestyle changes and decisions.
• The ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with professionals/individuals from a variety of different professional backgrounds
• A good level of understanding of evidence-based practice in relation to smoking cessation, the consequences of smoking and benefits to quitting.
• Excellent communication skills (both written and verbal) and listening skills.
• Good organisational skills and the ability to prioritise workload and coordinate own schedule without direct supervision.
• Knowledge of Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults policies and processes.

Desirable

• Experience of using an electronic clinical record system/database.
• A basic understanding of audit and evaluation.

Qualifications

Essential

• GCSE level English and Mathematics or equivalent.
• NVQ Level 3 or equivalent in health-related studies.
• OR
• Substantial successful experience delivering stop smoking/Lifestyle improvement interventions and support.

Desirable

• NCSCT trained Stop Smoking Practitioner
• Health Coach qualification

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Address

Charles Hastings Way

Worcester

Worcestershire

WR5 1DD

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.worcsacute.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)