Job summary
Closing Date: 20.05.25(this may change dependent on response)
Shortlisting to take place after closing date: commencing 21.05.25
Interview expected to take place in the week following shortlisting: commencing 02.06.25
We are looking for enthusiastic and motivated support workers with a passion for providing excellent care to babies and their families to join the Level 3 Neonatal Service at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. CQC rated Outstanding.
Accredited as the first Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in the country to achieve UNICEF Baby Friendly Neonatal Standards we are very proud of the parents as partners in care ethos that underpins every aspect of care we deliver to babies and their families within the service.
The Infant Feeding Support Worker (IFSW) team will be responsible for promoting and implementing the UNICEF Baby Friendly standards to support families to develop close and loving relationships with their babies which are fundamental to improving the long term outcomes of babies on the Neonatal Unit.
The successful candidates will work independently and as part of a wider team to support mums with the initiation of breast milk expression and support responsive feeding, this will require good communication skills, professionalism and the ability to use available resources to provide a consistent support and information's to families.
Main duties of the job
Under the supervision of a registered nurse provide family integrated and developmentally focused care. To work with babies and their families to promote health and wellbeing and improve longterm outcomes. This will involve being able to work across the neonatal services as a team member, with other health professionals providing care for the babies and their families.
There is a specific focus to support the UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative Standards; understanding the importance of promoting and supporting close and loving relationships. The role also involves supporting the initiation of expressing breastmilk and providing support and encouragement throughout their feeding journey.
About us
Our People Charter outlines the behaviours we can expect from one another and what you can expect from Bradford Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust:
- We value people
- We are one team
- We care
We're keen to meet people who share these values and are passionate about delivering the highest quality of care to our patients.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Infant Feeding
- Provide infant feeding support to expectant and new mums/dads of preterm and sick term babies who are admitted, or likely to be admitted, to the neonatal unit or transitional care unit.
- Set up initial meeting to discuss expressing and breast feeding, ensuring mum knows how to hand express, store EBM safely, position and attach etc.
- Complete documentation to record regular support and advice given.
- Promote early initiation of expressing and be proactive with ongoing support to maintain a good long term supply.
- Teach parents and staff how to hand express and use the electronic pumps with appropriate advice and benefits.
- Support the neonatal team with the safe and effective storage of breastmilk. Including the rotation of breastmilk and freezer maintenance.
- Help maintain the stock of equipment and records of all breast pumps that are loaned out from NNU and ensure they are returned to the NNU when baby is discharged home.
- Maintain the stock and cleanliness of the milk kitchen on NNU.
- Support staff with responsive bottle feeding.
- Provide practical support for parents who choose to formula feed their babies including responsive bottle feeding, support whilst sterilising equipment and safely making up feeds.
Clinical
- Work towards implementing the philosophy, policies, procedures and guidelines with Neonatal Services.
- Champion the benefits of the baby friendly standards to staff and families to improve long term outcomes for babies.
- Provide care to babies and their families under the direction/supervision of a registered nurse.
- Act in a professional manner at all times maintaining high unit standards.
- To work effectively within a team. Establish and maintain effective communication and relationships with the Multidisciplinary team
- Undertake duties commensurate with Band that you have been given appropriate training for and deemed competent.
- Undertake other tasks appropriate to the unit environment with necessary training e.g cleaning of equipment, and undertaking ward errands as required by senior colleagues.
- Contribute to and maintain accurate, clear and reliable records, including the documentation of any care given to the babies.
- Be responsible for the safe keeping and maintenance of all equipment used.
- Acknowledge your personal and professional limitations, liaising with and referring to nurses and doctors at all times.
- Provide physical and emotional support for babies and their families as part of the team with the support of a nurse and report any adverse findings to the nurse.
- Following training, prepare for and perform specific delegated clinical procedures heart rate, respirations and patterns, temperature and temperature control, urine testing, weighing babies, obtaining capillary blood samples for Guthrie and blood sugars, removal of cannulae.
- Be able to initiate Neonatal resuscitation and seek help.
- Assist ordering and collecting stock, and attend to general tidiness of ward including unpacking and storage of ward stock deliveries.
- Support parents in ensuring their babies hygiene requirements are met.
- Feed babies using all methods of artificial enteral feeding practiced within the TCU/NNU environment. Undertake procedures to support this care e.g. placement and checking of naso-gastric tubes and feeding via this method.
- Support parents physically and emotionally in all aspects of caring for their babies, including supporting parents in the care of terminally ill babies.
- Undertake a range of administrative duties as directed by the nurse, including discharge planning and the collation of relevant statistics and basic audit work.
- Undertake parent craft demonstrations for parents, supporting discharge planning and preparing them to care safely for their babies within their own homes. Take part in parent education for the parents under the direction of a nurse including positive touch, skin to skin.
- Undertake education to maintain skills and ensure they are up to date with practice changes
The IFSW team do work 7 days a week and rotation on to night duty.
Email: Tracey.Barstow@bthft.nhs.uk (Infant Feeding Lead Nurse) or Danielle.Brown@bthft.nhs.uk (Infant Feeding Sister) for more info or to arrange an informal visit.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Infant Feeding
- Provide infant feeding support to expectant and new mums/dads of preterm and sick term babies who are admitted, or likely to be admitted, to the neonatal unit or transitional care unit.
- Set up initial meeting to discuss expressing and breast feeding, ensuring mum knows how to hand express, store EBM safely, position and attach etc.
- Complete documentation to record regular support and advice given.
- Promote early initiation of expressing and be proactive with ongoing support to maintain a good long term supply.
- Teach parents and staff how to hand express and use the electronic pumps with appropriate advice and benefits.
- Support the neonatal team with the safe and effective storage of breastmilk. Including the rotation of breastmilk and freezer maintenance.
- Help maintain the stock of equipment and records of all breast pumps that are loaned out from NNU and ensure they are returned to the NNU when baby is discharged home.
- Maintain the stock and cleanliness of the milk kitchen on NNU.
- Support staff with responsive bottle feeding.
- Provide practical support for parents who choose to formula feed their babies including responsive bottle feeding, support whilst sterilising equipment and safely making up feeds.
Clinical
- Work towards implementing the philosophy, policies, procedures and guidelines with Neonatal Services.
- Champion the benefits of the baby friendly standards to staff and families to improve long term outcomes for babies.
- Provide care to babies and their families under the direction/supervision of a registered nurse.
- Act in a professional manner at all times maintaining high unit standards.
- To work effectively within a team. Establish and maintain effective communication and relationships with the Multidisciplinary team
- Undertake duties commensurate with Band that you have been given appropriate training for and deemed competent.
- Undertake other tasks appropriate to the unit environment with necessary training e.g cleaning of equipment, and undertaking ward errands as required by senior colleagues.
- Contribute to and maintain accurate, clear and reliable records, including the documentation of any care given to the babies.
- Be responsible for the safe keeping and maintenance of all equipment used.
- Acknowledge your personal and professional limitations, liaising with and referring to nurses and doctors at all times.
- Provide physical and emotional support for babies and their families as part of the team with the support of a nurse and report any adverse findings to the nurse.
- Following training, prepare for and perform specific delegated clinical procedures heart rate, respirations and patterns, temperature and temperature control, urine testing, weighing babies, obtaining capillary blood samples for Guthrie and blood sugars, removal of cannulae.
- Be able to initiate Neonatal resuscitation and seek help.
- Assist ordering and collecting stock, and attend to general tidiness of ward including unpacking and storage of ward stock deliveries.
- Support parents in ensuring their babies hygiene requirements are met.
- Feed babies using all methods of artificial enteral feeding practiced within the TCU/NNU environment. Undertake procedures to support this care e.g. placement and checking of naso-gastric tubes and feeding via this method.
- Support parents physically and emotionally in all aspects of caring for their babies, including supporting parents in the care of terminally ill babies.
- Undertake a range of administrative duties as directed by the nurse, including discharge planning and the collation of relevant statistics and basic audit work.
- Undertake parent craft demonstrations for parents, supporting discharge planning and preparing them to care safely for their babies within their own homes. Take part in parent education for the parents under the direction of a nurse including positive touch, skin to skin.
- Undertake education to maintain skills and ensure they are up to date with practice changes
The IFSW team do work 7 days a week and rotation on to night duty.
Email: Tracey.Barstow@bthft.nhs.uk (Infant Feeding Lead Nurse) or Danielle.Brown@bthft.nhs.uk (Infant Feeding Sister) for more info or to arrange an informal visit.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working as part of a team
- Experience in direct care of babies or children
- Experience, knowledge and awareness of supporting infant feeding
- Experience of dealing with members of the public
Desirable
- Experience of working in the NHS
Skills
Essential
- Basic IT Skills
- Good verbal and written command of the English language
- good interpersonal skills
- Numeracy skills
- Ability to plan/organise own and delegated workload and work under pressure in a busy environment in a professional manner
- Record keeping and documentation
- Ability to work as a team member
Knowledge
Essential
- Understanding of Information Governance and Confidentiality
- Understanding of equality and diversity issues and how this affects patients, visitors and staff
- Understanding of good breast feeding practices
- Good understanding of health care relevant to babies and families
Qualifications
Essential
- Care certificate (or willingness to undertake)
- Minimum NVQ level 3 in Health and Social Care or in Care (or willingness to undertake as an apprentice)
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working as part of a team
- Experience in direct care of babies or children
- Experience, knowledge and awareness of supporting infant feeding
- Experience of dealing with members of the public
Desirable
- Experience of working in the NHS
Skills
Essential
- Basic IT Skills
- Good verbal and written command of the English language
- good interpersonal skills
- Numeracy skills
- Ability to plan/organise own and delegated workload and work under pressure in a busy environment in a professional manner
- Record keeping and documentation
- Ability to work as a team member
Knowledge
Essential
- Understanding of Information Governance and Confidentiality
- Understanding of equality and diversity issues and how this affects patients, visitors and staff
- Understanding of good breast feeding practices
- Good understanding of health care relevant to babies and families
Qualifications
Essential
- Care certificate (or willingness to undertake)
- Minimum NVQ level 3 in Health and Social Care or in Care (or willingness to undertake as an apprentice)
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.
