Labour Ward Coordinator

Countess of Chester; Chester; On-site; GBP 49,000 - 57,000; Full time

Job summary

Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Senior Midwife to join as Labour Ward Co-ordinator on a full-time, 12-month fixed-term contract. The role requires leadership of Labour Ward/MLU, with involvement across intrapartum, triage, and antenatal/postnatal care, and a minimum of five years' post-registration experience.

You will lead a multidisciplinary team, ensure safe staffing, optimise patient flow and uphold national maternity safety standards in a dynamic maternity

Qualifications

• Registered Midwife with current NMC registration.
• ALSO/PROMPT course.

Responsibilities

• Provide shift-by-shift leadership and operational management of the Labour Ward, MLU, Triage, Day Assessment and Induction of Labour rooms.
• Coordinate safe staffing levels and allocate resources according to clinical acuity and service demands.
• Lead and support the multidisciplinary team to ensure delivery of safe, effective and personalised care.
• Lead safety huddles, incident management, risk identification and service improvement initiatives.

Job description

Main area Midwifery Grade Band 7 Contract Fixed term: 12 months (Maternity Leave Cover) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (LD and Nights) Job ref 210-2026-700

Site Countess of Chester Hospital Town Chester Salary £49,387 - £56,515 pa Salary period Yearly Closing 25/10/2026 23:59

Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, staff pride themselves on not only leading through clinical excellence, but also by creating an environment where all staff are valued and appreciated. To achieve this, the Trust has embarked on an exciting new strategy focused on continuous improvement.

Our vision is to improve the lives of our community and provide excellence in healthcare, through partnership and innovation

Our High Performance Culture will support everyone to be the best version of themselves by being true to our Trust vision, values and behaviours.
We welcome applications from colleagues from our local and neighbouring communities of all backgrounds and identities, who are currently under-represented within our region such as Black, Asian, Minority ethnic and those with disabilities.

As a region we are reviewing the way we work, and exploring how new working practices that support flexible working can create a positive work-life balance. As part of our recruitment process we will explore how our inclusive employment policies, flexible working, staff engagement forums, Trust facilities and services can be of mutual benefit.

Job overview

Working Full time: 37.5 hours per week

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Senior Midwife to apply for the position of Labour Ward Co-ordinator. The Countess of Chester NHS Trust combines an obstetric led unit & MLU.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a dynamic & forward-thinking maternity team. We pride ourselves on our three core values to be safe, kind and effective. You will become a valued member of our maternity unit, be part of an innovative team that will help us to excel further to deliver our Trust objectives & values.

We are looking for an adaptable individual who has 5 years clinical experience, excellent interpersonal skills, works well as part of the multi-disciplinary team & has an ability to work under pressure, whilst moving the services forward.

The successful candidate should be able to demonstrate previous experience of leadership and staff management skills with recent experience in the intrapartum, Day unit, Triage and antenatal/ postnatal ward. The candidate would be able to co-ordinate safe, high-quality intra-partum care on a shift-by-shift basis.

Main duties of the job

Provide shift-by-shift leadership and operational management of the Labour Ward, MLU, Triage, Day Assessment and Induction of Labour rooms.

Coordinate safe staffing levels and allocate resources according to clinical acuity and service demands.

Maintain oversight of patient flow, bed capacity and escalation processes across maternity services.

Lead and support the multidisciplinary team to ensure the delivery of safe, effective and personalised care.

Act as a senior clinical resource, supporting complex decision-making and the escalation of clinical concerns.

Promote effective communication between midwifery, obstetric, neonatal and wider multidisciplinary teams.

Support and develop midwives, maternity support workers and students through leadership, supervision and role modelling.

Ensure compliance with national maternity safety standards, Trust policies and clinical governance requirements.

Lead safety huddles, incident management, risk identification and service improvement initiatives.

Working for our organisation

The Trust’s services are provided from three locations:

• The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 473 general and acute beds.
• Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 60 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility.
• Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population.

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust employs 5,964 staff (headcount) to provide care and treatment to a population of over 400,000 people living in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire.

The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System. Due to its location on the border with North Wales, the Trust also works closely with the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

The Trust treats patients from England and some parts of Wales. During 2024/2025, there were approximately 643,000 patient attendances (inpatient, A&E, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

See Job Description for further details.

Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values. An applicant guide to help and support you through your recruitment journey can be accessed at the bottom of this page.

If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the ‘essential’ criteria described in the person specification for an available position, please answer ‘YES’ to the question: ‘Do you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?’

Please inform the team if you have any special support needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection processes.

The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.

If a DBS is required for your role, you are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee applies which is payable to the DBS Service.Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costswill be deducted from their salary over the first three months of employment.

New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.

Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.

The Trust will not sponsor where the starting salary does not meet immigration rules

Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.

Good luck with your application.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Registered Midwife with current NMC registration
• ALSO/PROMPT course

Knowledge and Experience

• Minimum five years post registration
• Ability to manage own workload, plan the work of others and work autonomously
• Knowledge of professional, Public Health and NHS issues
• Presentation/ teaching skills
• Knowledge of and participation in financial management within the clinical setting

Skills

• Broad range of clinical experience
• Excellent organisational skills
• Demonstrate ability to manage complex emotional, mental and physical problems and situations.
• Understanding of quality and change in the clinical setting.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
If the role is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 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.

Enhanced DBS check applications that are submitted with omitted or incorrect information will be withdrawn. In the event errors are identified on your original application, a new application will need to be submitted and you will be required to pay the DBS application fee again.

The cost of the DBS application will be deducted from your salary over the first three months of employment.

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. Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - Check if you need a UK visa - GOV.UK

The Trust will not sponsor where the starting salary does not meet these immigration rules

For further details on skilled worker sponsorship, please consult the UK Home Office guidance: Skilled Worker visa: Overview - GOV.UK. Additionally, the New guidance for overseas applicants | NHS Employers provides helpful information on the recruitment process for candidates applying for roles in the UK.

Overseas candidates are responsible for their travel expenses.

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have 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 dependent's (over 18 years old) will also be subject to this requirement.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Application numbers

This vacancy may close early if it receives a high number of applications. Please complete and submit your application in good time to avoid disappointment.