Band 7 Neonatal Charge Nurse

Royal Free London Nhs Foundation Trust; England; On-site; GBP 56,000 - 63,000; Full time

Job summary

The Royal Free London Neonatal Unit is seeking a experienced nursing leader to provide clinical and operational leadership across neonatal services. The post holder will drive safe, effective, family-centred care and lead workforce planning, development and service improvements within a large NHS Trust.

Join a multidisciplinary team committed to staff wellbeing, quality improvement, and delivering compassionate care to babies and families.

Qualifications

• Registered Children's Nurse with current NMC registration.
• Neonatal qualification (QIS) or equivalent.
• Degree in Nursing or evidence of academic achievement; ongoing professional development.
• Experience leading neonatal teams and clinical governance.
• Experience managing staffing, performance and workforce planning.

Responsibilities

• Jointly responsible with other Neonatal Unit Charge Nurses and Ward Management for operational management and service delivery.
• Lead and develop nursing practice to maintain high standards of safety, quality and patient experience.
• Oversee workforce planning, staff development, performance management and service improvement.
• Promote a culture of learning, inclusion and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate across multidisciplinary teams to deliver family-centred, evidence-based care.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Teamworking

Change management

Staff development

Education and mentoring

Resilience

Prioritisation

Education

RN/Registered Children's Nurse

NMC Registration

Neonatal Qualification (QIS)

Degree in Nursing or equivalent

Evidence of ongoing professional development

Leadership/management experience

Experience in neonatal care

Tools

Microsoft Word

Outlook

Excel

Job description

Job summary

We are seeking an experienced, dynamic and compassionate neonatal nursing leader to join our team and play a pivotal role in delivering outstanding care for babies and their families. The successful candidate will provide visible clinical and operational leadership within the neonatal service, ensuring the delivery of safe, effective and family-centred care in line with Royal Free London's World Class Values.

The postholder will have joint responsibility with the other Neonatal Unit Charge Nurses and Ward Manager for the operational management and service delivery of the Neonatal Unit and Caring Together Scheme. They will be responsible for leading and developing nursing practice, maintaining high standards of quality, safety and patient experience, and supporting staff to deliver evidence-based care. They will oversee workforce planning, staff development, performance management and service improvement initiatives, while promoting a positive culture of learning, inclusion and continuous improvement.

The ideal candidate will be an effective team player who can work collaboratively across multidisciplinary teams, inspire and develop others, manage change and drive improvements in patient safety and service delivery. They will demonstrate strong leadership, sound professional judgement and a commitment to excellence, innovation and compassionate care.

Main duties of the job

Join the Royal Free London Neonatal Team

Are you passionate about providing outstanding care to newborn babies and their families? The Royal Free London Neonatal Unit offers an exciting opportunity to work within a highly skilled, supportive, and innovative multidisciplinary team across one of the UK’s largest NHS trusts. We provide care for babies requiring intensive, high dependency, and special care services, while promoting family-integrated care and continuous quality improvement. We are committed to staff development, wellbeing, and career progression, offering excellent training and leadership opportunities. Join us and help shape the future of neonatal care while making a real difference to the lives of babies and families every day.

To have joint responsibility with the other Neonatal Unit Charge Nurses and Ward Management team for the operational management and service delivery of the Neonatal Unit and Caring Together Scheme. This includes the line management of all neonatal unit staff; the management and monitoring of resources within a defined budget and the delivery of the Trust's corporate agenda.

About us

The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK's biggest and most innovative trusts. Across three main hospitals, our dedicated army of staff care for over 1.6million patients, treat more than 200,000 in A&E, deliver over 8,000 babies and carry out more than 17million tests.

Our size, scale and influence offer you unrivalled career opportunities and a forward-thinking approach to working that works around your lifestyle. From flexible hours and generous benefits, to next level training, we make it easier to take your career to the top. For more information please follow link https://www.royalfreelondonjobs.co.uk/

Details

• Date posted: 23 October 2026
• Pay scheme: Agenda for change
• Band: Band 7
• Salary: £55,524 to £62,652 a year per annum inclusive of HCAS (Pro-rata if LTFT)
• Contract: Permanent
• Working pattern: Full-time
• Reference number: 391-RFL-8186495-A
• Closing date: 04 November 2026

Person Specification

Essential

• Demonstrable ability to meet the Trust shared commitments.
• Registered Children's Nurse / RGN
• NMC Registration
• Neonatal Qualification in Specialty (QIS)
• Degree in Nursing or equivalent evidence of academic achievement; evidence of ongoing professional development relevant to neonatal care and leadership
• Current neonatal clinical competence, including Neonatal Advanced Life Support or equivalent relevant training
• Mentorship, practice assessor/supervisor or equivalent educational qualification
• Experience of working in neonates, some of which is at a junior managerial level.
• Experience managing competing priorities, changing workloads, staffing pressures and operational demands within a complex clinical environment.
• Experience of managing staff performance, appraisal, attendance and wellbeing in line with Trust policies.
• Experience identifying training needs and supporting workforce development programmes.
• Experience of working within a team and of developing good working relationships with internal and external staff at all levels
• Experience of managing safeguarding concerns and referrals and applying safeguarding children policies and procedures.
• Experience collecting, interpreting and presenting data, with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Experience coordinating discharge planning and working in partnership with parents/carers.
• Experience leading or contributing to change management, quality improvement, audit, service development or improvement initiatives.
• Knowledge of clinical governance frameworks and use of quality data to improve care.
• Experience of managing safety events and knowledge of patient safety systems including PSIRF and escalation processes.
• Experience of writing or contributing to development/writing of guideline or SOP (Standard Operating Procedure)
• Experience supporting staff development, supervision and appraisal processes.
• Experience of workforce planning, roster management, sickness absence management and safe staffing escalation.
• Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to communicate sensitively and effectively in complex situations
• Highly organised, able to prioritise competing demands, manage deadlines and work effectively under pressure
• Demonstrates analytical and problem-solving skills
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire, develop, support and motivate staff and articulate a clear vision for high-quality neonatal care.
• Confident use of Microsoft Word, Outlook and Excel, with accurate documentation and data handling skills.
• Able to use initiative, make sound decisions and work with appropriate autonomy while recognising when escalation is required
• Demonstrates commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion
• Compassionate, approachable and family-centred.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and influencing skills.
• Resilient and able to work effectively under pressure.
• Positive role model with professional credibility and integrity
• Flexible, adaptable and able to lead change effectively
• Committed to quality improvement, patient safety and service excellence

Desirable

• Master's qualification or equivalent or working towards qualification
• Experience of managing resources, budgets or delegated financial responsibilities

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. Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.