Midwife (Band 5)

Somerset Nhs Foundation Trust; South Cheriton; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

NHS pension scheme

Generous annual leave

Career development opportunities

Blue Light Card discounts

Job summary

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust is recruiting a Preceptorship Midwife to support newly qualified or early career midwives. You will work in a forward-thinking maternity service across Musgrove Park Hospital and Yeovil District Hospital, receiving structured development to progress toward a Band 6 role and build confidence in a broad spectrum of maternity care.

You’ll provide safe, compassionate care throughout pregnancy, labour, birth and the postnatal period, collaborating with a wide

Qualifications

• Autonomous practitioner capable of working across hospital and community settings.
• Excellent communication skills with women and families.
• Commitment to compassionate, woman-centred maternity care.
• Ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team.

Responsibilities

• Provide safe, effective and compassionate care to women and babies across antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal care.
• Deliver personalised care that supports informed choice and positive birth experiences.
• Develop confidence and competence through a structured preceptorship programme.
• Promote physiological birth and escalate concerns as needed.
• Work across community and acute maternity services to gain varied clinical experience.
• Participate in the maternity on-call rota to support 24-hour service delivery.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to optimise outcomes for women and babies.
• Support student midwives and foster a positive learning environment.
• Contribute to service improvement, patient safety initiatives and quality improvement activities.

Skills

Autonomy

Communication skills

Compassionate care

Teamwork

Education

NMC registration (midwifery)

Diploma/degree in Midwifery

Job description

Job summary

Are you a newly qualified or early career Midwife looking for the right environment to build your confidence, develop your skills and make a meaningful difference to women, babies and families?

At Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, you'll join a supportive and welcoming maternity team dedicated to delivering safe, personalised and compassionate care across both hospital and community settings. As a Preceptorship Midwife, you will be supported through a structured development programme designed to help you grow your clinical expertise, strengthen your decision-making skills and progress towards a Band 6 role.

This is an opportunity to experience the full spectrum of maternity care, supporting women throughout pregnancy, labour, birth and the postnatal period. You'll work alongside experienced midwives, obstetricians, neonatal teams and a wide range of healthcare professionals who are committed to helping you succeed.

Based across Musgrove Park Hospital and Yeovil District Hospital, you'll be part of a forward-thinking maternity service that values kindness, respect and teamwork, while putting women and families at the centre of everything it does.

Main duties of the job

• Provide safe, effective and compassionate care to women and their babies throughout the antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal journey.
• Deliver personalised, woman-centred care that supports informed choice and positive birth experiences.
• Develop your confidence and competence through a structured preceptorship programme and regular support from experienced colleagues.
• Promote and facilitate physiological birth while recognising and escalating concerns appropriately.
• Work across community and acute maternity services, gaining valuable experience in a variety of clinical settings.
• Participate in the maternity on-call rota and contribute to the delivery of a responsive 24-hour service.
• Work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team to achieve the best possible outcomes for women and babies.
• Support student midwives and colleagues, contributing to a positive learning environment.
• Participate in service improvement, patient safety initiatives, audits and quality improvement activities.

About us

At Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, we're committed to supporting our employees with a range of benefits designed to enhance your professional and personal life. We offer:

• Flexible working options to help you balance work and life
• NHS pension scheme for long-term financial security
• Generous annual leave allowance to recharge and relax
• A strong focus on career development to help you grow and achieve your potential

Additionally, you'll gain access to our Blue Light Card, unlocking exclusive discounts on shopping, dining, and leisure activities, as well as NHS-specific perks to support you both inside and outside of work.

We are proud to foster a diverse, skilled, and inclusive workforce, and we encourage applications from all backgrounds.

Why Somerset? Somerset offers the perfect blend of idyllic countryside, outstanding areas of natural beauty, and breathtaking coastlines, with vibrant cities like Bristol, Bath, and Exeter just a short drive away - and only two hours to London.

The region is home to excellent educational facilities, and with affordable housing compared to other parts of the country, it's a great place to build both your career and your future.

Somerset truly has it all - the peaceful countryside and cosmopolitan city life, with something for everyone to enjoy.

Job responsibilities

This role offers a comprehensive introduction to autonomous midwifery practice within a large, integrated maternity service. You will care for women with a wide range of needs, working across community and hospital environments while being supported to develop your clinical knowledge, skills and professional judgement.

You will assess, plan, deliver and evaluate care for women and babies, ensuring care is evidence-based, individualised and delivered in line with professional standards. You'll play an important role in advocating for women, empowering them to make informed decisions and ensuring their voices remain central to their care.

Working closely with your preceptor and the wider multidisciplinary team, you will steadily build experience in caring for both straightforward and more complex maternity needs. You'll be supported to recognise complications, respond appropriately in emergency situations and contribute to the safe delivery of high-quality maternity services.

We are looking for someone who is passionate about maternity care, committed to continuous learning and able to build trusting relationships with women, families and colleagues. You will demonstrate excellent communication skills, compassion, professionalism and a willingness to work flexibly across the maternity service.

Why Join Somerset NHS Foundation Trust?

At Somerset, we understand that the transition from student to registered midwife is one of the most important stages of your career. That's why we've created a supportive preceptorship experience that gives you the time, guidance and encouragement you need to thrive.

• A structured and supportive preceptorship programme.
• Dedicated professional development and learning opportunities.
• Support from experienced midwives and multidisciplinary colleagues.
• Opportunities to contribute to service improvement, research awareness and quality initiatives.
• A culture built on kindness, respect and teamwork.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Current NMC Registration as a midwife
• Educated to Diploma/degree level or above
• Commitment to completing preceptorship development programme with a minimum of 1 year post qualification experience.
• Basic neonatal and adult resuscitation

Desirable

• Mentor/assessor training qualification
• Leadership / management training
• Safeguarding (level 3) and domestic abuse training
• NIPE qualified

Experience

Essential

• Ability to work as an autonomous practitioner within the hospital and community setting

Desirable

• Management of homebirth and water birth
• Expert in the following extended skills: venepuncture, cannulation, perineal suturing
• Assist at instrumental births
• Management of epidural anaesthesia
• Knowledge and ability to deal appropriately with obstetric emergencies in the absence of medical staff

Additional Criteria

Essential

• UK driving licence and access to car

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. 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).

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).