Advanced Midwife Practitioner, Candidate Birth Trauma/social Inclusion, University Maternity Hospital

Details of Service

Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) is a 150 bedded Tertiary Referral Centre for Maternity, Neonatology and Gynaecology located on the campus of Cork University Hospital. CUMH incorporates Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Neonatology Services in the Cork University Hospital Group within the Health Service Executive Southern region. CUMH has approximately 7,000 births per annum and is a tertiary referral centre.

Services at CUMH are delivered within SWHG, Ireland South Women’s and Infants Network which is based on the principles of partnership and integration and strongly supports the involvement of the multidisciplinary team in service provision.

CUMH is a site for clinical placements for student midwives and student nurses in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes delivered in partnership with University College Cork. CUMH Services incorporates the use of the MN-CMS (Maternal Newborn Clinical Management System) into care delivered at CUMH.

There are four Maternity Units in Ireland South Women and Infants Network – University Hospital Waterford, University Hospital Kerry, Cork University Maternity Hospital and Tipperary University Hospital - spanning four of the largest counties in the country. Maternity Services includes Neonatology and Gynaecology as well as Midwifery and Obstetrics. The Group’s Primary Academic partner is University College Cork. A wide range of educational programmes and research is conducted within all hospitals in the Group.

The Advanced Midwife Practitioner (AMP) – Birth Trauma and Social Inclusion Service is a specialist, midwifery-led service designed to provide holistic, trauma-informed, equitable care to women and birthing people who have experienced:

• Traumatic birth

• Complex psychosocial vulnerabilities

• Marginalisation or barriers to accessing maternity care

The service is embedded across the antenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal continuum, with a strong emphasis on psychological safety, dignity, inclusion and continuity of care.

It aligns with a trauma-informed care model, recognising that maternity experiences can trigger or compound trauma and that care must actively prevent re-traumatisation.

Six Health Regions have been established within the HSE, on the basis of the geographical boundaries agreed by the Government in July 2019 and they will be operational from 2024.

Each Health Region will be tasked with population specific planning resourcing and delivery of health and social care services for the needs of its unique population. This will result in improved accountability and governance in terms of finance and performance, while also bringing decision-making closer to the frontline.

Health Regions will enable and empower staff to provide services that are:

• Integrated, locally planned and delivered

• Easier to access and navigate

• Available closer to home

Health Regions are geographically based units with clearly defined populations. They align community and hospital services within specific areas. The HSE will retain a strong but leaner central organisation, with more service provision developed at a local level.

The HSE South West health region will manage and deliver all public health and social care services in Cork and Kerry. HSE South West includes all hospital and community healthcare services in the region.

This includes:

• South / South West Hospital Group S/SWHG

• Cork Kerry Community Healthcare CKCH

The Department of Population and Public Health is also now aligned with this health region

Services in the South West health region:

HSE Services working within this region include:

• Acute Hospitals

• Primary care services

• Community services

• Social care services

• Health and social care professionals

• Voluntary sector services

South / South West Hospital Group and Cork Kerry Community Healthcare became part of HSE South West health region on 3rd March 2025 and the transition to the new structures will continue throughout 2026

Purpose of the post

The purpose of this post is to develop the clinical, academic, and leadership competencies required to practice as a Registered Advanced Midwife Practitioner in Birth Trauma/Social Inclusion. The role supports advanced, evidence‑based midwife-led care to improve maternal psychological outcomes, service accessibility, and care experience, through:

• Early identification and support of birth-related trauma

• Provision of specialist midwifery interventions

• Promotion of equitable and inclusive maternity care

• Reduction in long-term emotional and mental health morbidity

The model for the Trauma-Informed Care Framework is underpinned by trauma-informed principles:

• Realisation – understanding the widespread impact of trauma

• Recognition – identifying signs of trauma in women and families

• Response – adapting care to support psychological safety

• Resisting re-traumatisation – ensuring care practices minimise triggers

A key model for Social Inclusion Strategy of the service includes:

• Proactive outreach and engagement strategies

• Use of interpreters and culturally appropriate materials

• Flexible appointment models (virtual/community-based)

• Trauma-informed communication approaches

• Partnership with community organisations

The cAMP will gain advanced skills in assessment, diagnosis, ultrasound, clinical decision‑making, and service leadership, progressing toward autonomous AMP practice in line with NMBI Standards (2017).

The individual will undertake the academic preparation and develop the clinical and leadership skills, competencies and knowledge required to meet the criteria to be registered as a RAMP with NMBI. The scope of the cAMP role must reflect the incremental development of expertise and as such, the cAMP cannot deliver care as an autonomous practitioner.

The individual will complete and submit the necessary documentation for registration as an RAMP with NMBI. The value of the midwifery contribution as a distinct profession must be safeguarded and articulated in the development of new services led by advanced midwife practitioners, complementing rather than replacing current services delivered by doctors (NMBI 2017 p.9). The overall purpose of the post is to provide safe, timely, evidenced based nurse-led care to patients at an advanced midwifery level.

This involves undertaking and documenting a complete episode of patient care (assess, diagnose, plan, treat and discharge patients) according to collaboratively agreed protocols and scope of practice in the clinical setting; demonstrating advanced clinical and theoretical knowledge, critical thinking, clinical leadership and decision making skills. The advanced practice role demonstrates a high degree of knowledge, skill and experience that is applied within the nurse-patient/client relationship to achieve optimal outcomes through critical analysis, problem solving and accurate decision making (NMBI, 2017).

Central to this is the provision of quality care, a safe environment and processes for patients by the use of evidence based clinical guidelines that address patient expectations, promote wellness and evaluate care given. The role will provide clinical leadership and professional scholarship in order to develop nursing practice and health policy at local, regional and national level. The role will contribute to nursing research to shape and advance nursing practice, education and health care policy at local, national and international levels

Informal Enquiries

We welcome enquiries about the role.

Informal Enquiries

Name: Katie Bourke, Director of Midwifery, CUMH

Email: Katie.Bourke@hse.ie

Telephone: 086-8231188

Name: Claire O’Halloran, Assistant Director of Midwifery, CUMH

Email: claire.ohalloran@hse.ie

Telephone: 021 4920704

Contact Meagan McGlynn - People Resourcing, meagan.mcglynn@hse.ie – for enquiries relating to the recruitment process