Practice Developmental Neonatal Nurse

NHS; Bedford; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent healthcare provider is seeking an experienced Practice Developmental Neonatal Nurse in Bedford, UK. The role focuses on education and development within the neonatal unit, leading initiatives to enhance staff competence and providing high-quality patient care. This position requires a registered nurse with experience in neonatal units and strong communication skills. Competitive benefits are offered, aiming to foster a culture of continuous learning and professional growth.

Benefits

High-quality training and development

Commitment to staff health and wellbeing

Qualifications

• Registered Midwife or Nurse essential.
• Experience in a Neonatal unit required.
• Facilitating training for others is necessary.

Responsibilities

• Guide and support staff in professional development.
• Collaborate with the Senior Nursing Team.
• Monitor staff capability, compliance, and absence.

Skills

Good interpersonal and communication skills

Project leadership skills

Ability to train others

Ability to evaluate and analyse audit results

Education

Educated to degree level

Current NLS training

QIS trained with at least 3 years consolidation of learning

Job description

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Overview

Practice Developmental Neonatal Nurse position within the Level 1 Neonatal Unit, integrated within the East of England ODN Neonatal Network. Closing date: 29 September 2025.

Join Our Neonatal Nursing Team and make a lasting impact. If you are an experienced Neonatal Nurse who thrives on making a difference, this role focuses on education, staff development, and growth of our Neonatal Services. The post supports both collaboration and independent work, with commitment to continuous learning and professional development.

As part of Bedfordshire Foundation Trust, you will contribute to pioneering care, delivering compassionate, up-to-date care backed by clinical knowledge and technology, working to provide exceptional, kind, and understanding care to every patient and family.

Main duties of the job

• Support healthcare practitioners to develop appropriate clinical patient safety knowledge and skills, with achievement of competencies.
• Ensure optimisation of resources for provision and development of clinical education.
• Act as a clinical expert, visionary, role model, and deliver education and learning for all staff in various settings, including the clinical area.
• Use a blended learning approach to maximise benefits from learning opportunities.
• Utilise effective methods of assessment, evaluation and impact of competence in clinical and patient safety education.

About us

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to around 700,000 people across Bedfordshire and surrounding areas, across two hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both sites offer A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity, and Paediatrics. The Trust is committed to staff health and wellbeing and offers high-quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust aims to deliver the best patient care using up-to-date clinical knowledge and technology.

Our values

We recruit based on qualifications and experience and on behaviours that underpin our core values. We promote equality, diversity and inclusion and strive for a culture that values differences.

Please note that vacancies may close before the advertised closing date if a sufficient number of applications are received. All new staff are subject to a probationary period (first 6 months). Travel between hospital sites may be required.

Job responsibilities

Clinical Responsibilities

• Take responsibility for the assessment of care needs, and for the development, implementation and evaluation of care and rehabilitation programs for children and their families.
• Explore more efficient and effective ways of providing high-standard, family-centred care and optimal use of resources.
• Collaborate with staff to set goals, benchmark standards of care, and develop tools to improve service quality and coordinate clinical services across the ward/dept.
• Support systems for sharing good practice within the ward/dept and trust-wide.
• Pilot clinical programmes.
• Plan and implement a programme for clinical supervision for all registered nurses working in the ward/dept.
• Rotational to transitional care.

PDN Responsibilities

• Foster a culture of learning through a training needs analysis approach, developing educational programmes for all clinical staff via a clinical governance pathway.
• Develop and monitor competency-based frameworks for all bands of clinical staff, supporting delivery of care with multidisciplinary collaboration.
• Provide educational direction and access to learning opportunities for students, learners and new staff, including mentoring and coaching programs.
• Participate in student nurse/learner/new staff teaching and support.
• Maintain a database for mandatory training, CPD and degree training, with attendance, completion and feedback.

Managerial Responsibilities

• Lead the ward/dept team to maintain morale and a team-based approach; deploy staff to meet workload with appropriate skill mix for 24-hour cover.
• Manage budget and oversee ward/dept expenditure.
• Ensure regular risk assessments to identify clinical risks and prevent incidents.
• Monitor staff capability, competence, sickness and absence; ensure compliance with Trust policies and procedures.
• Obtain and analyse area statistics and ensure accurate data input to IT systems.
• Manage stores and supplies and ensure proper use and maintenance of equipment.
• Lead in staff selection, interviewing and monitoring; participate in relevant meetings and working parties; act up for the Lead Nurse; support Band 6 staff with shift leadership and professional development.

Education, Training and Development of Staff

• Guide and support staff in professional development and clinical competence; review performance and set objectives; ensure competency-based programmes exist for safe equipment use and practices.
• Collaborate with the Senior Nursing Team and multidisciplinary colleagues to review local guidelines, Trust policies and standards; facilitate nursing research audits and implement improvements.
• Promote and participate in research, audits, and studies; implement ward teaching programmes; support learners and supervise in-service training.
• In liaison with universities, provide a supportive learning environment for students.

Professional and Legal Responsibilities

Be familiar with and observe ward, department, hospital and district policies, the NMC Rules and Code of Practice. Update knowledge to develop professionally and maintain confidentiality of records.

CARE AND COMPASSION: The post holder must deliver effective and personal care that is safe, calm and compassionate, involving the patient and, where appropriate, their significant others.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Registered Midwife or Nurse.
• QIS trained with at least 3 years consolidation of learning.
• Current NLS training.
• Educated to degree level.
• Research experience.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills, including clear, concise written skills.
• Good IT skills (e.g., Email/Internet).
• Project leadership skills.

Experience

• Substantial time working in Neonatal unit.
• Facilitating training for others.
• Ability to effectively lead change.
• Evidence of involvement in project management.

Knowledge

• Knowledge of teaching and learning.
• Ability to evaluate and analyse audit results to improve the service.
• Experience in change management and quality improvement initiatives.
• Knowledge of National Neonatal policies & guidelines.

Skills

• Ability to work and communicate as part of the multidisciplinary team.
• Ability to train others.
• Ability to prioritise to meet deadlines when writing reports.
• Ability to carry out audit and evaluate services.
• Ability to plan, allocate and supervise others.
• Ability to deal with operational issues.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and a disclosure check will be required.

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust