Job summary
Are you ready to lead with compassion, purpose, and vision?
We have a unique opportunity for a passionate and motivated individual to join our Neonatal Unit as a Ward Leader at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
This is a pivotal leadership role within a high-performing team dedicated to delivering exceptional care for preterm and sick term babies. You will be at the heart of a service that values innovation, teamwork, and family-centred care.
In this dynamic and rewarding role, you will:
- Lead and inspire the multidisciplinary team on the Neonatal Unit
- Coordinate services around neonatal care, ensuring safe, modern, and family-centred care
- Deliver high-quality, evidence-based inpatient care for preterm and sick term babies
- Contribute to the development and implementation of local and national neonatal strategies
- Work collaboratively across the wider health community to support integrated care pathways
We are committed to supporting your development. If you're new to formal management, we'll provide tailored training and mentorship to help you thrive in this role.This is more than just a job -- it's a chance to make a lasting impact on neonatal care and be part of a team that truly makes a difference.
Main duties of the job
To understand the role in more detail, please refer to the attached job description and person specification.
About us
We are an award-winning NHS Foundation Trust working alongside health and social care colleagues across the county to provide acute and community healthcare services to more than 420,000 people across Mansfield, Ashfield, Newark and Sherwood, and parts of Derbyshire and Lincolnshire.
We put the patient at the heart of everything that we do and it is our aim to make sure that every patient is treated as we would want a member of our own family to be treated. At the same time, we expect our staff to be caring, kind and courteous to each other and to look out for each other. We believe that we are truly a clinically-led organisation.
We are proud that our Trust colleagues have voted us the best acute Trust to work for in the East Midlands for seven years running in the National NHS Staff Survey, while the Care Quality Commission has rated our Trust as 'outstanding' for care and our King's Mill Hospital as the only 'outstanding' NHS-run hospital in the East Midlands.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To understand the role in more detail, please refer to the attached job description and person specification.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To understand the role in more detail, please refer to the attached job description and person specification.
Person Specification
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledgeable practitioner in Neonatal nursing.
- Ability to apply evidence-based practice
- Knowledge of clinical governance and commitment to develop a team.
- Understanding of information governance and confidentiality
- Understanding of equality and diversity issues and how this affects patients, visitors, and staff
- Awareness and understanding of currently neonatal issues across the east midlands neonatal network
- Excellent communication and time management skills
- Ability to change, manage and motivate others
- Demonstrable involvement in leadership, teaching and mentorship
Desirable
- Evidence of change management
- Evidence of multiagency and regional working
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered with the NMC
- RSCN, RN Child, Midwife or RN Adult
- 1 st Level Degree
- Recognised teaching qualification or experience (ENB 998, SLIP or equivalent)
- Diploma or Degree in Qualified in Speciality (neonates) or equivalent course
- Evidence of having completed relevant further study or trained relevant to the post. (New-born Life Support - NLS)
Desirable
- Masters degree in nursing or health related subject
- NVQ 3 Assessor
- Management or Leadership qualification
- Experience / knowledge of recruitment and retention, appraisal, sickness and absence management
Experience
Essential
- Extensive post registration experience in neonatal care
- Neonatal Advanced life support training (NLS)
- Ability to manage staff and manage a change in service
- Ability to prioritise and meet deadlines effectively
- Ability to manage own and other peoples time effectively.
- Highly developed communication skills in verbal written format and able to keep legible records and ability to listen
Desirable
- Community Experience
- Knowledge of staff appraisal
- Understanding of HR policies and processes
- Experience of managing conflict
- Strong leadership skills
- Evidence of practice or policy change arising from audit
- Evidence of practice development
Contractual
Essential
- Good understanding of IT and systems
- Occupational Health Clearance
- Ability to work in a hospital environment flexibility within the 24 hours rota period
Person Specification
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledgeable practitioner in Neonatal nursing.
- Ability to apply evidence-based practice
- Knowledge of clinical governance and commitment to develop a team.
- Understanding of information governance and confidentiality
- Understanding of equality and diversity issues and how this affects patients, visitors, and staff
- Awareness and understanding of currently neonatal issues across the east midlands neonatal network
- Excellent communication and time management skills
- Ability to change, manage and motivate others
- Demonstrable involvement in leadership, teaching and mentorship
Desirable
- Evidence of change management
- Evidence of multiagency and regional working
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered with the NMC
- RSCN, RN Child, Midwife or RN Adult
- 1 st Level Degree
- Recognised teaching qualification or experience (ENB 998, SLIP or equivalent)
- Diploma or Degree in Qualified in Speciality (neonates) or equivalent course
- Evidence of having completed relevant further study or trained relevant to the post. (New-born Life Support - NLS)
Desirable
- Masters degree in nursing or health related subject
- NVQ 3 Assessor
- Management or Leadership qualification
- Experience / knowledge of recruitment and retention, appraisal, sickness and absence management
Experience
Essential
- Extensive post registration experience in neonatal care
- Neonatal Advanced life support training (NLS)
- Ability to manage staff and manage a change in service
- Ability to prioritise and meet deadlines effectively
- Ability to manage own and other peoples time effectively.
- Highly developed communication skills in verbal written format and able to keep legible records and ability to listen
Desirable
- Community Experience
- Knowledge of staff appraisal
- Understanding of HR policies and processes
- Experience of managing conflict
- Strong leadership skills
- Evidence of practice or policy change arising from audit
- Evidence of practice development
Contractual
Essential
- Good understanding of IT and systems
- Occupational Health Clearance
- Ability to work in a hospital environment flexibility within the 24 hours rota period
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
