Senior Sister - Newborn Services

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust; Manchester; On-site; GBP 43,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust’s Newborn Services at St Mary’s Oxford Road Campus seeks a senior neonatal nurse (Band 7 Senior Sister) to provide clinical leadership and high-quality care for infants. You will rotate to support the unit, promote safety, and lead on improvements in practice.

The role focuses on leading a multidisciplinary team, mentoring staff, and driving effective care pathways within a cutting-edge neonatal service.

Qualifications

• Specialist Qualification as a neonatal nurse.
• Graduate.
• Mentoring and assessing or teaching qualification.
• Safeguarding Children.
• Enhanced Practice course.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate the unit to ensure patient flow and capacity is optimised.
• Provide direct care to infants of varying dependency on rota.
• Lead on quality improvement and specialist interests to maintain high standards of care.

Skills

Neonatal nursing

Team leadership

Strong communication

Education

Graduate

Mentoring and assessing or teaching qualification

Safeguarding Children

Enhanced Practice course

Job description

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An exciting opportunity has arisen for experienced, motivated, innovative and hardworking senior nurses to join Newborn Services at St Mary's Oxford Road Campus within the Managed Clinical Service (MCS).

You will have a specific site base but may be required to work across the MCS if service needs require. You will have excellent communication skills, be able to provide clinically excellent care and be able to promote and lead the delivery of high quality care.

High quality evidenced based care is the hallmark of our service and all Band 7 Senior Sisters are expected to participate in quality improvement initiatives and support future developments within the service.

We pride ourselves in working collaboratively as a multidisciplinary team in delivering excellent quality of care along with as positive an experience for families as possible. We provide a cutting-edge service, and this is your opportunity to influence the experience of infants and families by contributing to the leadership of a strong and dedicated workforce, role modelling positive behaviours, supporting the team to deliver the highest standards of safe and effective care.

This post is pivotal within the unit nursing structure.

Main duties of the job

You will have specialist clinical knowledge, leadership and management skills to support the organisation in the delivery of the highest quality of care. This will involve both the provision of direct care to infants at all levels of dependency and, on a rota basis, coordination of the Unit to ensure that patient flow is maintained, and capacity optimised across the MCS. You will lead by example, role modelling positive values and behaviours. Part of this valuable leadership role is to be directly involved in quality improvement, leading on specialist interests essential to high standards of care.

Working for our organisation

Join Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) and become part of a 30,000 plus strong team, delivering exceptional care to over 1 million people every year. As the largest provider of specialist services, and our Oxford Road Campus in Manchester, the largest health academic campus in Europe, we are forward-thinking, committed to clinical excellence and driven to deliver innovation, and continuous improvement.
Whether you’re beginning your career or taking the next step, MFT offers a stimulating and supportive environment where your contribution truly matters. Our Hive Electronic Patient Record system enables safer, smarter, and more efficient ways of working - empowering you to deliver the best possible outcomes for our patients.
You’ll be part of a collaborative, multi-disciplinary community, working alongside professionals from a wide range of clinical backgrounds. Together, we push boundaries, share knowledge, and deliver care that transforms lives.
At MFT, you’ll find a workplace where everyone is respected, supported, and encouraged to thrive. We offer clear clinical pathways for professional development, helping you grow your skills and achieve your ambitions.
Your journey at MFT is more than a job - it’s an opportunity to make a lasting impact. We’ll support you as you shape the future of healthcare, one patient at a time.

Qualifications

• Specialist Qualification as a neonatal nurse
• Graduate
• Mentoring and assessing or teaching qualification
• Safeguarding Children
• Enhanced Practice course

Experience

• Experience of managing and leading a team
• Evidence of practice development activity within the neonatal field
• Evidence of neonatal transport experience
• Evidence of personal/professional development
• Evidence of teaching or presenting
• Implementation/participation within audit/research

Knowledge

• Local and National issues affecting nursing and midwifery (i.e. Toolkit for high quality neonatal services, BAPM etc)
• NMC standards and requirements
• Awareness of budgetary control
• Knowledge of quality improvement methodology
• Audit and research methodology

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.

We welcome applications from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.
To help us manage applications fairly and give each one the time it deserves, our adverts may close early if we receive a high level of interest. Early applications are therefore encouraged.

Diversity Matters
MFT is committed to promoting equality of opportunity, celebrating and valuing diversity and eliminating any form of unlawful discrimination across our workforce, ensuring our people are truly representative of the communities we serve. All individuals regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation are encouraged to apply for this post. As an inclusive employer, we are here to support you. If you have any special requirements to help you with your application, please contact the manager named below.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in your application

Here at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, we’re proud to be ALL HERE FOR YOU, for our patients, our communities, and each other.
As part of our commitment to fairness, transparency, and personal integrity, we ask all applicants to ensure that their job applications reflect their own experiences, skills, and motivations. While AI tools can support spelling, grammar, or formatting, we expect that the content of your application, especially personal statements and responses to role specific questions is written by you. This helps us get to know the real you and ensures that our recruitment process remains equitable and meaningful for everyone.

Thank you for helping us uphold the values that make our Trust a place where people belong, grow, and thrive. We look forward to receiving your application.

As part of our commitment to safeguarding patients and staff, many roles at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. This is a standard process across the NHS and helps us ensure a safe environment for everyone.

What is a DBS Check?

A DBS check is a background check that reveals any criminal convictions, cautions, reprimands, or warnings. The level of check required depends on the role:

Standard DBS : Checks for spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands, and final warnings.

Enhanced DBS : Includes the above, plus any additional information held by local police that’s considered relevant to the role.

Enhanced with Barred Lists: Includes all of the above, plus checks against the children’s and/or adults’ barred lists.

Who Needs a DBS Check

Most roles involving direct patient contact, working with children or vulnerable adults, or access to sensitive information will require a DBS check. The job advert and recruitment team will let you know if this applies to your role.

The Costs for a DBS

At Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), roles that require a DBS check are subject to a cost recovery policy. This means that the cost of submitting and processing a DBS application if you are successful and join us, will be deducted from your salary within the first three months of employment. If, however, you withdraw from a conditional offer after the DBS process has begun, you will still be liable for the cost incurred.

Candidates are also expected to register with the DBS Update Service which must be completed within 30 days of the certificate being issued. This helps streamline future employment checks and supports safer recruitment practices. For more information, please visit the DBS Update Service.