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Job summary

Main area
Neonatal Medicine
Grade
Band 7
Contract
Permanent
Hours
  • Part time
  • Other
30 hours per week (none)
Job ref
391-RFL-8227519
Employer
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Barnet Hospital
Town
Barnet
Salary
£55,524 - £62,652 per annum inclusive of HCAS (pro rata)
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
02/11/2026 23:59

Employer heading

NHS

Band 7 Neonatal Ward Manager

Band 7

Our trust has over 17,000 staff serving 2 million patients every year. It comprises Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital, North Middlesex University Hospital and more than 30 services in the community.  This larger scale organisation provides an unprecedented opportunity for us to continue our pioneering work, particularly in finding ways to deliver even better care to our patients.

Our mission is to deliver world class care and expertise in our clinical services, underpinned by world class teaching and research and we will continue to measure our progress against our five governing objectives: excellent outcomes, excellent patient and staff experience, excellent value for taxpayers’ money, being safe and meeting our external duties, and building a strong organisation.

Everyone is welcome at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. We're proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME, gender equality, staff carers and people with disabilities and lived experiences to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a set of technology that can perform various tasks that typically required human intelligence. Your application is your opportunity to demonstrate to us how you meet the requirements of the role. We recognise that AI tools can support accessibility, equity and confidence for applicants. However, it’s important that examples and responses genuinely reflect your own experience and abilities, as these will be explored further during the selection process. AI must not be used to provide misleading or false information during any stage of the application journey. Further guidance can be found in the NLPSS Applicant Toolkit https://royalfree.pagetiger.com/cuuomnr/1.

Click here to view our video Welcome to the Royal Free

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is committed to ensuring that its recruitment processes are carried out with integrity, transparency, and fairness for all applicants. To help maintain these standards, we ask candidates to provide accurate and truthful information throughout the recruitment process.

If incorrect or misleading information is identified, this may affect the progression of an application, any employment offer, or continued employment. As part of our due diligence, the company may verify the information provided by applicants and take appropriate action where necessary.

We do not charge applicants any fees at any stage of the recruitment process, including applications, interviews, sponsorship arrangements, pre-employment checks, or employment offers. All vacancies are advertised through TRAC/NHS Jobs and candidates are assessed solely on their skills, qualifications, experience, and suitability for the role. If you are asked to make a payment in connection with an NHS job opportunity, please treat this as suspicious and contact the organisation directly using the details published on our official career's website

Applicants can refer to the Fraud Act 2006 for further information: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/35/contents

 

Job overview

We are seeking an experienced, dynamic and compassionate neonatal nursing leader to join our team and play a pivotal role in delivering outstanding care for babies and their families. The successful candidate will provide visible clinical and operational leadership within the neonatal service, ensuring the delivery of safe, effective and family-centred care in line with Royal Free London’s World Class Values. 

The postholder will be responsible for leading and developing nursing practice, maintaining high standards of quality, safety and patient experience, and supporting staff to deliver evidence-based care. They will oversee workforce planning, staff development, performance management and service improvement initiatives, while promoting a positive culture of learning, inclusion and continuous improvement. The role will also contribute to governance, patient safety, quality assurance, education and research activities that improve outcomes for babies and families.

The ideal candidate will be an effective team player who can work collaboratively across multidisciplinary teams, inspire and develop others, manage change and drive improvements in patient safety and service delivery. They will demonstrate strong leadership, sound professional judgement and a commitment to excellence, innovation and compassionate care.

Main duties of the job

The Neonatal Unit Ward Manager is a senior clinical leader responsible for the day-to-day operational management of the neonatal unit, ensuring babies and their families receive safe, effective, compassionate and high-quality care.

 

Working closely with the Neonatal Matron, Head of Nursing, Consultant Neonatologists and multidisciplinary teams, the postholder provides visible leadership, maintains clinical standards and supports the delivery of patient safety, quality improvement and service development priorities. The role includes workforce management, staff supervision, education, recruitment, wellbeing and professional development, fostering a positive culture of learning, accountability and continuous improvement. 

 

The Ward Manager will lead on governance, risk management, audit and quality initiatives while supporting the implementation of evidence-based practice and family-centred care.  They will collaborate across neonatal services and sites to promote consistency, shared learning and best practice. The ideal candidate will be a compassionate, resilient and highly motivated neonatal nurse with excellent leadership, communication, organisational and people management skills.

Working for our organisation

The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s biggest and most innovative trusts. Across three main hospitals, our dedicated army of staff care for over 1.6million patients, treat more than 200,000 in A&E, deliver over 8,000 babies and carry out more than 17million tests.
 
Our size, scale and influence offer you unrivalled career opportunities and a forward-thinking approach to working that works around your lifestyle. From flexible hours and generous benefits, to next level training, we make it easier to take your career to the top.
 
For more information please follow link https://www.royalfreelondonjobs.co.uk/

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see attached job description for more information about this role and working at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.

Person specification

Education & Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Registered Children’s Nurse / RGN NMC Registration Neonatal Qualification in Specialty (QIS)
  • Degree in Nursing or equivalent evidence of academic achievement; evidence of ongoing professional development relevant to neonatal care and leadership
  • Current neonatal clinical competence, including Neonatal Advanced Life Support or equivalent relevant training.
  • Mentorship, practice assessor/supervisor or equivalent educational qualification
Desirable criteria
  • Master’s qualification or equivalent or working towards qualification

Skills & Aptitudes

Essential criteria
  • Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to communicate sensitively and effectively in complex situations
  • Highly organised, able to prioritise competing demands, manage deadlines and work effectively under pressure
  • Demonstrates analytical and problem-solving skills
  • Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire, develop, support and motivate staff and articulate a clear vision for high-quality neonatal care
  • Confident use of Microsoft Word, Outlook and Excel, with accurate documentation and datahandling skills.
  • Able to use initiative, make sound decisions and work with appropriate autonomy while recognising when escalation is required

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Experience of working in neonates, some of which is at a junior managerial level.
  • Experience managing competing priorities, changing workloads, staffing pressures and operational demands within a complex clinical environment
  • Experience of managing staff performance, appraisal, attendance and wellbeing in line with Trust policies
  • Experience of working within a team and of developing good working relationships with internal and external staff at all levels
  • Experience of managing safeguarding concerns and referrals and applying safeguarding children policies and procedures.
  • Experience collecting, interpreting and presenting data, with strong analytical and problem-solving skills
  • Experience leading or contributing to change management, quality improvement, audit, service development or improvement initiatives
  • Experience of workforce planning, roster management, sickness absence management and safe staffing escalation.
  • Experience supporting staff development, supervision and appraisal processes
  • Experience of managing safety events and knowledge of patient safety systems including PSIRF and escalation processes.
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of managing resources, budgets or delegated financial responsibilities

Personal Qualities & Attributes

Essential criteria
  • Demonstrates commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
  • Compassionate, approachable and family-centred
  • Excellent interpersonal, communication and influencing skills.
  • Resilient and able to work effectively under pressure.
  • Positive role model with professional credibility and integrity
  • Flexible, adaptable and able to lead change effectively
  • Committed to quality improvement, patient safety and service excellence

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Nursing TimesApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleDisability confident employerTimewise PartnerCare Quality Commission - Requires improvementEnei MemberArmed Forces Covenant

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Application numbers

This vacancy may close early if it receives a high number of applications. Please complete and submit your application in good time to avoid disappointment.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Claire Hart
Job title
Matron - Neonatal Services
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
02082165161

If you have problems applying, contact

Address
Service Excellence Team
Telephone
If you have any queries, please contact NLPSS Recruitment Helpdesk tel. 020 3758 2060