Job summary
- Main area
- Midwifery
- Grade
- Band 8b - Band 8c (Subject to Job Evaluation)
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (On call duties.)
- Job ref
- 249-7098152
- Employer
- Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Great Western Hospital
- Town
- Swindon
- Salary
- £62,215 - £85,601 Per annum, Pro Rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 12/05/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Head of Midwifery and Neonatal Services
Band 8b - Band 8c (Subject to Job Evaluation)
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a unique organisation, serving as the sole integrated provider in the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, and Wiltshire system. Our scope extends beyond boundaries as we oversee adult community services in Swindon and provide acute care from the Great Western Hospital.
Our 5,500 staff have 1.2m patient contacts a year, with 13,000 operations carried out in our Theatres, around 4,000 babies born, and our emergency attendances are now well over 100,000 per year. Those numbers only tell part of our story about what an exciting time it is to join Great Western Hospitals.
We are cultivating a culture that fosters our ambitions, prioritising equality, diversion, inclusion, wellbeing, and leadership. We aim to create an environment where every member of our team can truly thrive.
The Trust is a Disability Confident Employer; all applicants who have a disability can opt to be considered under the guaranteed interview scheme, which means that, providing they meet the minimum essential criteria for the post, they will be offered an interview. We are also proudly accredited as a Veteran Aware organisation and have signed The Armed Forces Covenant.
If we receive a high volume of applications, we may close adverts prior to the published closing date. Therefore, we advise you to complete and submit your application as soon as possible.
Job overview
Head of Midwifery and Neonatal Services - Band 8c (Subject to Job Evaluation)
Are you an experienced and passionate leader in perinatal services ready to take the next step in your career? Great Western Hospital is seeking a dynamic Head of Midwifery and Neonatal Services to provide operational leadership across our perinatal services.
With 3,800 births per year and an 18-cot Local Neonatal Unit, our service plays a vital role in delivering high-quality, safe, and compassionate care to families in Swindon and beyond. This role is crucial in supporting the Director of Midwifery and Neonatal Services, ensuring compliance with national strategy, and driving quality improvements. You will also work collaboratively with colleagues across the Bath, Swindon, and Wiltshire Maternity and Neonatal System, helping to shape the future of regional perinatal care.
If you’re a strategic leader with a strong background in midwifery or neonatal services and a passion for service development, we’d love to hear from you. Join us and make a real impact on the future of maternity and neonatal care.
Main duties of the job
This is a senior leadership role in which the post holder will be responsible for operational direction and provision of management of midwifery and Neonatal services.
They will ensure delivery of consistently high standards of care, patient experience and satisfaction, and ensure that divisional and corporate objectives in relation to the workforce, service delivery, quality improvement, clinical quality, safety, and leadership are carried out.
The responsibility includes covering for board assurance and quality committee reports and presenting them in the absence of the DoMN.
The post holder will develop, maintain, and provide assurance on clinical and operational governance systems and processes, CQC standards, clinical policies and procedures, clinical quality, health and safety, patient experience, complaint systems and resolution, incident reporting and resolution, contractual quality measures and safeguarding.
The post holder will act as a key member of the Divisional Management Team contributing fully to the development delivery and achievement of the group's objectives with the ability to deputise for the Director
of Midwifery and Neonatal Services as required.
The post holder will participate in a senior manager on call rota for maternity and neonatal services.
Working for our organisation
Our STAR values – Service, Teamwork, Ambition and Respect – are a golden thread running through everything we do. These values serve as a guiding principle, driving us towards our vision of delivering great joined up services to our local community. Whether at home, in the community, or within the hospital, our goal is to empower individuals to lead independent and healthier lives
Interview Date: 23rd May 2025 (Discussion Groups to take place on the 22nd May(Am)
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The post holder will assist the Director of Midwifery and Neonatal Services (DoMN) in the development of the professional midwifery and neonatal nursing agenda to achieve consistency of practice, high standards of care and innovation with a strong patient safety focus.
Please see attached the full Job Description
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Midwife or Nurse NMC Registered Practitioner
- Degree in Midwifery or Nursing
- Masters level study in a Health Related Subject (or working towards)
- Evidence of recent post registration continuous professional development/qualification
Desirable criteria
- Project Management/Service Improvement Qualification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Significant experience in a senior midwifery or nursing position at Band 8a or above and currently working in a leadership role
- Experience of midwifery practice in hospital and community settings
- High degree of professional development
- Can demonstrate expertise in midwifery or nursing practice
- Experience in writing reports/presenting information internally/externally in a timely manner to a range of Senior Managers
- Demonstrable experience of leading change and problem solving in clinical settings, patient care and experience
- Experience of working on own initiative and as part of a team working with local and external terms, acting as an ambassador of a speciality
Desirable criteria
- Evidence and experience in delivering midwifery operational and strategic performance including strategic safe staffing and skill mix reviews, infection control, risk management, complaints, and adverse incidents across a range of services
- Experience in setting and achieving objectives/KPI’s
- Previous publication of own work
- Previous experience of clinical research or audit
- Previous experience of working with pre and post registration students of multiple disciplines
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Kat Simpson
- Job title
- Director of Midwifery and Neonatal Services
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01793 604953
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