Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Maternity Support Worker

The closing date is 17 July 2025

Job summary

We have an excellent opportunity for new staff to join our busy and friendly Maternity team at Luton and Dunstable Hospital as Maternity Support Workers.

Maternity Support Workers (MSW) provide direct delivery of clinical care to all women and babies accessing maternity services. They may be based within specialist and integrated teams such as in in patient areas, theatre, fetal medicine units and community hubs.

Band 3 MSWs may serve as a point of contact/support for women, babies, and their families and provide clinical, physical, psychological and emotional care and support. They provide appropriate information and, where necessary, signpost to wider support organisations.

Please note that we are unable to offer sponsorship for this post.

We do not offer virtual interviews this post.

Main duties of the job

To work alongside and under direction of the midwife and other members of the multidisciplinary team in order to ensure the safe and effective care of mothers and babies.

Maternity Support Workers will be required to assist in providing personal care for women, including: post operative care, venepuncture, recording of observations and obtaining microbiology specimens. A Maternity Support worker will assist the midwives and wider multidisciplinary team in care of the newborn. Newborn tasks will include: completing observations in line with local guidance, taking newborn blood spot samples and Jaundice Monitoring using Transcutaneous Bilirubinometer and planning care accordingly.

Responsibilities will include promoting healthy lifestyle for women including smoking cessation, exercise, diet and drug misuse in line with national recommendations and government initiatives.

About us

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

Date posted

04 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,625 to £25,674 a year pa Pro Rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time

Reference number

418-MSW6431-EH

Job locations

Luton and Dunstable University Hospital

Lewsey Road

Luton

LU4 0DZ

Job description

Job responsibilities

Care of woman:

To actively participate in the recognition and prevention of maternal illness and respond effectively in an emergency.

To assist mothers with postnatal exercises

To arrange and process microbiological specimens

To obtain maternal capillary blood sample for glucose analysis, in line with Trust policy and guidelines.

To independent undertaking venepuncture in line with national standards and local policy

To independently remove epidural catheter

To use the Haemacue, when asked, to assess the haemoglobin level of a woman, in line with national standards and local policy.

Following appropriate training to undertake group health promotion teaching as agreed with ward/ departmental managers, in line with national frameworks and initiatives

To actively participate in the recognition and prevention of domestic abuse, both physical and mental, reporting any suspicions to the ward manager.

To promote healthy life styles, including smoking cessation, exercise and diet, drug misuse in line with national recommendations and Government initiatives

To undertake routine postoperative care, within Trust and local policies and guidelines

Care of baby:

To weigh the baby

To complete identification and security of the baby, in collaboration with the midwife.

To discuss with the mother normal appearance and range of changing stool and micturition in the health term new-born

To recognise and report to midwife potential signs of neonatal jaundice

To advise mother on care of umbilical cord and surrounding area

To process umbilical cord blood sample for cord gases

To gather urine sample in hospital

To actively participate in the recognition and prevention of neonatal illness and respond effectively in an emergency situation.

To actively participate in the recognition and prevention of child abuse, both physical and mental, reporting any suspicions to the ward manager.

To undertake and document, using Newborn Early Warning Trigger and Track (NEWTT) Chart, routine healthy baby observation (hospital/community), reporting abnormalities to the midwife

To obtain capillary blood sample via heel prick to undertake Newborn Blood Spot testing

Infant feeding:

To support Breast feeding in line with Baby Friendly principles and local policy and guidelines, including:

To assist women to undertake bonding activities,

To assist women to undertake skin to skin,

To assist women to expressing milk

To assist women to use breast pump

To assist women to cup feed healthy, term neonates

Administration:

To accurately Data input and retrieval into/from computer systems including;

ICE i.e. retrieving test results

CMIs, Maternity Booking system

any other relevant electronic record systems

To request investigations, when competent to undertake obtaining the sample required i.e. Blood samples, Mid-stream urine (MSU) and skin swabs.

To maintain contemporaneous and accurate records of actions taken and care offered.

To make client appointments in line with agreed care pathways and guidelines and record these in the agreed manner.

To undertake follow up of women who do not attend (DNA) appointments, in line with Trust guidelines and policy.

Please see Job Description for full list of main responsibilities and tasks.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Care of woman:

To actively participate in the recognition and prevention of maternal illness and respond effectively in an emergency.

To assist mothers with postnatal exercises

To arrange and process microbiological specimens

To obtain maternal capillary blood sample for glucose analysis, in line with Trust policy and guidelines.

To independent undertaking venepuncture in line with national standards and local policy

To independently remove epidural catheter

To use the Haemacue, when asked, to assess the haemoglobin level of a woman, in line with national standards and local policy.

Following appropriate training to undertake group health promotion teaching as agreed with ward/ departmental managers, in line with national frameworks and initiatives

To actively participate in the recognition and prevention of domestic abuse, both physical and mental, reporting any suspicions to the ward manager.

To promote healthy life styles, including smoking cessation, exercise and diet, drug misuse in line with national recommendations and Government initiatives

To undertake routine postoperative care, within Trust and local policies and guidelines

Care of baby:

To weigh the baby

To complete identification and security of the baby, in collaboration with the midwife.

To discuss with the mother normal appearance and range of changing stool and micturition in the health term new-born

To recognise and report to midwife potential signs of neonatal jaundice

To advise mother on care of umbilical cord and surrounding area

To process umbilical cord blood sample for cord gases

To gather urine sample in hospital

To actively participate in the recognition and prevention of neonatal illness and respond effectively in an emergency situation.

To actively participate in the recognition and prevention of child abuse, both physical and mental, reporting any suspicions to the ward manager.

To undertake and document, using Newborn Early Warning Trigger and Track (NEWTT) Chart, routine healthy baby observation (hospital/community), reporting abnormalities to the midwife

To obtain capillary blood sample via heel prick to undertake Newborn Blood Spot testing

Infant feeding:

To support Breast feeding in line with Baby Friendly principles and local policy and guidelines, including:

To assist women to undertake bonding activities,

To assist women to undertake skin to skin,

To assist women to expressing milk

To assist women to use breast pump

To assist women to cup feed healthy, term neonates

Administration:

To accurately Data input and retrieval into/from computer systems including;

ICE i.e. retrieving test results

CMIs, Maternity Booking system

any other relevant electronic record systems

To request investigations, when competent to undertake obtaining the sample required i.e. Blood samples, Mid-stream urine (MSU) and skin swabs.

To maintain contemporaneous and accurate records of actions taken and care offered.

To make client appointments in line with agreed care pathways and guidelines and record these in the agreed manner.

To undertake follow up of women who do not attend (DNA) appointments, in line with Trust guidelines and policy.

Please see Job Description for full list of main responsibilities and tasks.

Person Specification

Educational Requirements

Essential

5 GSCEs or equivalent
Previous clinical experience within an NHS healthcare setting

Desirable

Care certificate
Level 3 NVQ or Apprenticeship

Skills knowledge and abilities

Essential

Excellent written communication skills

Desirable

Previous experience working in maternity services
Venepuncture trained

Experience

Essential

Willingness to undertake additional training

Person Specification

Educational Requirements

Essential

5 GSCEs or equivalent
Previous clinical experience within an NHS healthcare setting

Desirable

Care certificate
Level 3 NVQ or Apprenticeship

Skills knowledge and abilities

Essential

Excellent written communication skills

Desirable

Previous experience working in maternity services
Venepuncture trained

Experience

Essential

Willingness to undertake additional training

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Additional information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

Certificate of Sponsorship

Employer details

Employer name

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Luton and Dunstable University Hospital

Lewsey Road

Luton

LU4 0DZ

Employer's website

https://www.bedfordshirehospitals.nhs.uk/working-here/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Luton and Dunstable University Hospital

Lewsey Road

Luton

LU4 0DZ

Employer's website

https://www.bedfordshirehospitals.nhs.uk/working-here/ (Opens in a new tab)