Job overview
Are you a clinically experienced neonatal palliative and bereavement care nurse looking to take your expertise to the next level? We are seeking an exceptional practitioner who brings advanced clinical skills, deep compassion and the confidence to influence high‑quality care at some of the most critical moments in a family’s life.
In this specialist role, you will act as a senior clinical leader, applying expert decision‑making, advanced practice capability and professional judgement far beyond the scope of the general multidisciplinary team. You will be a visible clinical presence, supporting colleagues across neonatal, midwifery and obstetric services while shaping practice standards that place the needs of babies and their families at the centre of every decision.
You will continually evolve your own expert nursing practice and, through effective role modelling, help strengthen the professional development of others. Working in close partnership with neonatal, midwifery and obstetric teams, you will provide authoritative clinical advice, offer specialist leadership and seek out opportunities where innovation, transformation or enhanced pathways can improve experiences and outcomes for parents and their babies.
If you are driven to make a profound difference, committed to excellence in neonatal palliative and bereavement care, and ready to lead with expertise, empathy and vision, we would love to hear from you.
Main duties of the job
COMMUNICATION
Demonstrate ability to communicate complex and sensitive information to patients, carers and other staff, taking into account the unique and complex psychosocial needs of this patient population.
Effectively utilise communication skills to empower families to make informed decisions.
Diffuse potentially hostile and antagonistic situations with staff, patients and relatives, using highly developed negotiation and interpersonal skills
Provide expertise and support to nursing and clinical teams in the management of challenging interactions with families when required.
Actively promote the philosophy and vision of the role, regionally and nationally.
Support parents during follow up appointments by advocating for them as required and subsequently reinforcing information and explanations given.
Ensure that there is a clearly defined platform for parent experience feedback, and this is utilised to understand patient need and guide service development.
Demonstrate self-motivation, and the ability to work under own initiative and without direct supervision, being accountable for own actions.
Working for our organisation
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.
Our values
We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.
Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Participate in Child Death Overview meetings (CDOP) and regionally as required.
Work collaboratively with hospital and local hospices in relation to neonatal palliative care and bereavement Support needs and priorities.
Before and after birth, perinatal health professionals should take active steps to recognise babies who would benefit from palliative care and to integrate this into routine care, participate in fetal medicine meetings.
Represent through attendance and presentation at relevant local, national and international conferences/forums.
Participate in the Annual baby Remembrance Service, Wave of Light, Baby loss Awareness week.
Support the implementation of agreed clinical guidelines, documentation and education strategy produced by East of England Network
Promote change in nursing and clinical practice in order to improve the recognition and management of babies and their families requiring bereavement support.
Provide a positive role model to staff.
Delegate and empower staff without abdicating overall, continuing responsibility.
Network with other neonatal bereavement leads to attend national bench-marking groups to share best practice and influence national neonatal bereavement drivers.
Support community team with early discharge and community follow-up
To work within the neonatal unit as an integral part of the team. To work a minimum of one shift per week on NICU as a community liaison nurse, at all times supernumerary to nursing establishment of the unit. Identifying the babies ready for discharge and be proactive in the discharge planning from hospital
Support Outreach lead and attend all relevant psychosocial/neonatal discharge planning meetings when required. To discuss and identify babies and families suitable for earlier discharge and prevented readmissions.
Attend outreach meetings deputizing for the Outreach Lead, such as, weekly consultant catch up, safeguarding, fetal medicine, complex baby meeting, pediatric palliative and other strategy meetings.
EDUCATION
1. Provide expert specialist advice to patients, carers and staff in the healthcare setting.
2. Act as a mentor and teacher, providing mentorship and support and demonstrate exemplary practice to all members of the healthcare team.
3. Identify educational and training needs of multi-professional teams.
4. Advise on training and education necessary for staff at individual and team level in the specialty, and contribute to the training and education needs of the organisation as required.
5. Promote evidence based practice within wards and departments.
6. Ensure continued personal development of knowledge and expert skills.
7. Explore the development of / promote professional educational opportunities relating to bereavement and palliative care locally, regionally, and nationally for hospital staff.
8. Take responsibility for and actively participate in own personal development plan and performance review/appraisal with the Line Manager.
RESEARCH AND AUDIT
·Support in auditing service evaluation and research of neonatal palliative care and bereavement support programmes.
·Work with the clinical research teams to facilitate research opportunities for our patients, to drive new opportunities for patient-centred research.
·Regularly undertakes work audits and participates in research activity which includes participating in clinical audits and making recommendations for practice. Critically analyse data from local, regional and national reports including MBRRACE and PMRT.
·Contribute to the multidisciplinary perinatal mortality reviews and the dissemination of learning and feedback following review.
·Maintain a database of all families who have experienced neonatal loss within the neonatal service and where possible compare and analyse this information and data for a range of options including reports for specific programmes/audits and research.
·Facilitate and support in the development of evidence based guidelines for use in clinical practice.
·Participate in Quality Improvement projects as the service requires
For further information please see attached Job Description and Person Specifications.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
9. •Registered Nurse
10. •QIS trained with significant consolidation of learning
11. •Current NLS training
Desirable criteria
12. •Leadership training or course or a desire to develop
13. •Educated to degree level
14. •Research experience
15. •Quality Improvement
Experience
Essential criteria
16. •Substantial time working in a Neonatal unit
17. •Experience at Band 5/6 in a NICU/SCU/Community Outreach Team
18. •Implementing changes in nursing practice to improve patient care
19. •Designing and implementing training programmes on NICU
20. •Experience of preparing infants with complex health needs for discharge
21. •Experience dealing with Neonatal/Child Bereavement
Desirable criteria
22. •Experience in leading Nurse Education on a level 3 NICU
23. •Evidence of involvement in project management
24. •Experience with PMRT/MBRRACE-UK/CDOP
Knowledge
Essential criteria
25. •Knowledge of teaching and learning
26. •Taking part on Audit and surveys
27. •Knowledge of National Neonatal policies & guidelines
28. •Fully aware of the children’s Act & National/Local Safeguarding Children Board legislation
29. •Care of and discharge preparation for the infant with complex health needs
30. •Understanding and participating in Baby Friendly Initiative
Desirable criteria
31. •Experience in change management and/or quality improvement initiatives
32. •Knowledge around Neonatal Bereavement frameworks
Skills
Essential criteria
33. •Ability to work and communicate as part of the multidisciplinary team
34. •Clear and concise written & documentation skills
35. •Good level of IT i.e. Email/Internet
36. •Ability to train others
37. •Ability to support mothers/fathers in a non-judgemental, empathetic and family centred care
38. •Ability to prioritise in order to meet deadlines when writing reports
39. •Ability to plan workload
40. •Aknowledge & awareness of diversity and human rights and the competencies appropriate to bereavement support
41. •Calm, approachable and demonstrates professional behaviour
42. •Subject to the provisions of the Equality Act, the post holder should possess a current valid UK driving licence, have access to a vehicle for work and provide evidence on an annual basis that the vehicle is insured for business use.
Desirable criteria
43. •Change management skills
44. •Ability to deal with operational issues
45. •Ability to deliver on the Key NICU performance indicators
46. • Experience with audit
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.