Job summary
Neonatal Bereavement Lead NurseBand 7 - 30 hours / Permanent
Our Level 3 NICU provides the highest level of neonatal intensive care for critically ill and extremely premature infants. The unit works closely with regional perinatal networks and supports families from across the region.
We are committed to delivering family-integrated care, and bereavement support is a vital part of our service.
We are seeking a compassionate, experienced, and motivated Neonatal Bereavement Lead Nurse to join our Level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and lead the delivery of high-quality bereavement care for families experiencing the loss of a baby.
This is a unique and rewarding opportunity for an experienced neonatal nurse with a passion for family-centred care to develop and lead a comprehensive neonatal bereavement service within a tertiary neonatal setting.
If you are passionate about ensuring families receive compassionate, dignified support during the most difficult time of their lives, we would love to hear from you.
Main duties of the job
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Lead and develop the neonatal bereavement pathway within the NICU.
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Provide specialist support to families experiencing neonatal loss.
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Support staff in delivering sensitive and compassionate end-of-life care.
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Coordinate memory-making activities and bereavement follow-up services.
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Ensure care aligns with national neonatal and bereavement standards.
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Deliver education and training to neonatal staff on bereavement and end-of-life care.
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Work collaboratively with maternity services, chaplaincy, mortuary teams, and community services.
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Lead service development, audit, and quality improvement initiatives related to bereavement care.
About us
Ashford and St. Peters Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust serves a population of more than 410,000 people living in North-West Surrey, parts of Hounslow and beyond.
Over 3,700 highly trained doctors, nurses, midwives, therapists, healthcare scientists and other support staff make up our workforce, providing a wide range of services across our two hospital sites, Ashford, Surrey and St Peter's, Chertsey, Surrey.
We also run many specialist clinics in the community and local community hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
Our vision is to be one of the best healthcare Trusts in the country. There has never been a better time to join us in the NHS at ASPH. We are committed to providing continuous professional development and flexibility to shape our workforce around our patient care.
We are expanding our theatres at Ashford Hospital and moving towards this becoming our dedicated elective centre. We want to create a state-of-the-art centre for excellence for planned surgical procedures.
We can offer you the full range of NHS benefits/discounts and in addition:
- Excellent pension scheme and annual leave entitlement
- On-site Nurseries
- On-site staff cafes
- On-site parking
- Support in career development
- Salary Sacrifice schemes including wage stream, lease cars, Cycle to Work schemes and home electronics
Adverts may close early, so applicants are encouraged to submit an application as soon as possible.
For more information about a career at ASPH please visit:www.asph-careers.org
Job description
Job responsibilities
To lead the provision of a sensitive, responsive and compassionate bereavement and palliative care service to families with newborns or unborn babies who require palliative, complex and/or end of life care.
To work alongside clinical staff to support them to provide care to these babies and their families. To ensure families are supported through the process, following guidelines, co-ordinating and attending follow-up clinics.
To co-ordinate with external agencies, ensuring that all aspects of the neonatal process are correctly completed. To provide an experienced liaison role for all professionals in the neonatal and maternity multidisciplinary team (MDT), including external palliative and hospice agencies, working in collaboration to support family choice.
To be a key worker for these families, provide on-going and continuing support and facilitate family integrated care. This care could start before birth (as appropriate) and continue for families beyond discharge home.
To work closely with the fetal medicine, complex care teams, and neonatal morbidity and mortality neonatal consultant to support Perinatal Mortality Review and other national mortality processes.
To take responsibility for the local neonatal bereavement pathway and the further development of local guidelines.
To provide emotional and practical support both to families and neonatal staff during end-of-life events and thereafter, with an ability to link in with and signpost to other relevant services and processes.
To lead, implement and monitor learning, education and training in bereavement and palliative care for the neonatal MDT.
Internally the post holder will develop effective working relationships with:
Neonatal medical and nursing team (all tiers)
Allied Health Professionals on NICU
NICU child psychotherapist
Neonatal Outreach Services
Fetal medicine, maternity and neonatal governance team
Maternity and neonatal bereavement teams
Wider maternity team
Members of the paediatric department
Safeguarding team
Hospital chaplaincy service
NICU Family care co-ordinator (FCC)
Externally this includes:
External agencies who support local end of life and bereavement care including hospice and specialist palliative care teams
External key workers; including CDOP nurses
Key working relationships with the wider KSS bereavement teams
Job description
Job responsibilities
To lead the provision of a sensitive, responsive and compassionate bereavement and palliative care service to families with newborns or unborn babies who require palliative, complex and/or end of life care.
To work alongside clinical staff to support them to provide care to these babies and their families. To ensure families are supported through the process, following guidelines, co-ordinating and attending follow-up clinics.
To co-ordinate with external agencies, ensuring that all aspects of the neonatal process are correctly completed. To provide an experienced liaison role for all professionals in the neonatal and maternity multidisciplinary team (MDT), including external palliative and hospice agencies, working in collaboration to support family choice.
To be a key worker for these families, provide on-going and continuing support and facilitate family integrated care. This care could start before birth (as appropriate) and continue for families beyond discharge home.
To work closely with the fetal medicine, complex care teams, and neonatal morbidity and mortality neonatal consultant to support Perinatal Mortality Review and other national mortality processes.
To take responsibility for the local neonatal bereavement pathway and the further development of local guidelines.
To provide emotional and practical support both to families and neonatal staff during end-of-life events and thereafter, with an ability to link in with and signpost to other relevant services and processes.
To lead, implement and monitor learning, education and training in bereavement and palliative care for the neonatal MDT.
Internally the post holder will develop effective working relationships with:
Neonatal medical and nursing team (all tiers)
Allied Health Professionals on NICU
NICU child psychotherapist
Neonatal Outreach Services
Fetal medicine, maternity and neonatal governance team
Maternity and neonatal bereavement teams
Wider maternity team
Members of the paediatric department
Safeguarding team
Hospital chaplaincy service
NICU Family care co-ordinator (FCC)
Externally this includes:
External agencies who support local end of life and bereavement care including hospice and specialist palliative care teams
External key workers; including CDOP nurses
Key working relationships with the wider KSS bereavement teams
Person Specification
Attitudes , behaviours and values
Essential
- Demonstrates passion for excellence
Qualifications
Essential
- RM /RN / RSCN
- Qualified in Specialty-or recognized qualification in neonatal care, e.g.QIS or equivalent OR similar appropriate professional experience.
- Teaching and Assessing/ Mentorship qualification or ENB 998/997 or equivalent or practice assessor and practice supervisor qualification
- Recent substantial neonatal experience or appropriate professional experience in this specialty.
- Management experience
Desirable
- Qualification in Counselling
Experience
Essential
- Experience in a bereavement role
- Knowledge and understanding of grieving process and psychological impact of families with babies on the neonatal Unit.
- Knowledge and experience of local and national bereavement guidance, how to implement them and assess compliance.
- Involvement in investigations and panels which occur following the death of a baby.
- Experience of working in stressful situations with bereaved and distressed parents and families
- Sound knowledge of recent Government/ Professional documents with awareness of implications to service provision
Desirable
- Service development experience
knowledge
Essential
- Trust vision, values and strategic objectives
- Investigations and panels that are required post baby death
- Highly developed neonatal specialist knowledge across the range of procedures and practices that babies and families experience
Skills
Essential
- Experience with delivering presentations
- Ability to act effectively within a multidisciplinary team and ensure collaborations across professional boundaries with good working relationships.
- Evidence of sound clinical knowledge and experience
- Ability to demonstrate a sound knowledge of quality, assurance and governance issues
- Be able to liaise with stakeholders, both internal and external to the organisation
Other
Essential
- Ability to deal with distressing circumstances
Person Specification
Attitudes , behaviours and values
Essential
- Demonstrates passion for excellence
Qualifications
Essential
- RM /RN / RSCN
- Qualified in Specialty-or recognized qualification in neonatal care, e.g.QIS or equivalent OR similar appropriate professional experience.
- Teaching and Assessing/ Mentorship qualification or ENB 998/997 or equivalent or practice assessor and practice supervisor qualification
- Recent substantial neonatal experience or appropriate professional experience in this specialty.
- Management experience
Desirable
- Qualification in Counselling
Experience
Essential
- Experience in a bereavement role
- Knowledge and understanding of grieving process and psychological impact of families with babies on the neonatal Unit.
- Knowledge and experience of local and national bereavement guidance, how to implement them and assess compliance.
- Involvement in investigations and panels which occur following the death of a baby.
- Experience of working in stressful situations with bereaved and distressed parents and families
- Sound knowledge of recent Government/ Professional documents with awareness of implications to service provision
Desirable
- Service development experience
knowledge
Essential
- Trust vision, values and strategic objectives
- Investigations and panels that are required post baby death
- Highly developed neonatal specialist knowledge across the range of procedures and practices that babies and families experience
Skills
Essential
- Experience with delivering presentations
- Ability to act effectively within a multidisciplinary team and ensure collaborations across professional boundaries with good working relationships.
- Evidence of sound clinical knowledge and experience
- Ability to demonstrate a sound knowledge of quality, assurance and governance issues
- Be able to liaise with stakeholders, both internal and external to the organisation
Other
Essential
- Ability to deal with distressing circumstances
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.
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
