Sister/Charge Nurse - NICU (Special Care Coordinator)

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Bradford; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford, is seeking a Neonatal Special Care Coordinator/Discharge Coordinator to lead the Special Care area, coordinate daily operations, and support safe, family-centred discharge planning.

The role focuses on improving patient flow, parent-infant bonding, and collaboration with the multidisciplinary team to deliver high-quality neonatal care in a UNICEF Baby Friendly environment.

Qualifications

• Significant post registration experience on a Neonatal Unit.
• Experience coordinating complex patient pathways and supporting discharge planning.
• Experience coaching, mentoring or developing colleagues to improve practice.

Responsibilities

• Provide clinical leadership within the Special Care area and coordinate day-to-day delivery of safe, family-centred care.
• Lead nurse-led ward rounds and work with MDT to ensure timely discharge planning.
• Promote Family Integrated Care and UNICEF Baby Friendly standards across the unit.

Skills

Leadership

Neonatal care

IV skills

Communication

Quality improvement

Education

QIS Neonatal Care

ENB 405 Diploma in Special and Intensive Care of the New-born

ENB 998 SLIP/training

Job description

Employer Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Bradford Royal Infirmary Town Bradford Salary £39,959 - £48,117 per annum (pro rata) Salary period Yearly Closing 25/09/2026 23:59

NHS AfC: Band 6

Job overview

Closing Date: 25.09.26 (this may change dependent on response).

Shortlisting to take place following closing date commencing 28.09.26

Interview expected to take place in the week commencing 05.10.26

Rated OUTSTANDING by the CQC

A rare and exciting opportunity has arisen for highly motivated and experienced Neonatal Nurses to join our team and provide leadership within our service. Specifically in the Special Care area of the unit. Bradford Neonatal service is a well-established 31 cot NICU and 9 cot Transitional Care Unit providing care for both infants born locally and those from across the wider Yorkshire & Humber region requiring specialist high quality support. We successfully re-accredited as UNICEF Baby Friendly in 2023.

We have had a number of recent successes in developing a large education team, perinatal palliative care support and specialist infant feeding nurses so now is a really exciting time to be part of team Bradford. We have also recently launched innovative Special Care Coordinator roles that are proving to help colleagues on the unit to provide the level of care that all nurses aspire to achieve.

Main duties of the job

We are seeking an experienced Neonatal Nurse to join our leadership team as a Special Care Coordinator/Discharge Coordinator. This is an exciting opportunity to provide clinical leadership within our Special Care area, supporting patient flow, enhancing the family experience and ensuring babies receive safe, high-quality, evidence-based care.

You will coordinate the day-to-day running of the Special Care area, lead nurse-led ward rounds and work closely with the multidisciplinary team to support safe, timely and effective discharge planning. A key focus of the role is ensuring babies and families experience seamless transitions from hospital to home.

You will act as a visible clinical leader, role model and advocate for best practice, supporting the development of junior colleagues through supervision, education and coaching. We are looking for an individual who is proactive, forward-thinking and committed to continuous improvement, with the confidence to challenge practice constructively and drive positive change.

Working in partnership with families, you will promote Family Integrated Care, support parent-infant bonding and encourage breastfeeding and expressing in line with UNICEF Baby Friendly standards.

The successful candidate will be an excellent communicator with strong clinical judgement, leadership skills and a passion for delivering outstanding neonatal care.

Working for our organisation

Our People Charter outlines the behaviours we can expect from one another and what you can expect from Bradford Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust:

• We are one team

We’re keen to meet people who share these values and are passionate about delivering the highest quality of care to our patients.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Special Care Coordinator/Discharge Coordinator will provide clinical leadership within the Special Care area of the Neonatal Unit, coordinating the day-to-day delivery of safe, effective and family-centred care. The post holder will support the smooth running of the unit, ensuring babies receive high-quality care and that families are fully involved in planning and decision-making throughout their neonatal journey.

The post holder will lead and coordinate nurse-led ward rounds, working closely with the multidisciplinary team to ensure consistent approaches to patient management, timely decision-making and effective discharge planning. A key responsibility will be supporting patient flow through the neonatal service by developing and maintaining safe discharge pathways and promoting early preparation for discharge.

Working as an experienced neonatal practitioner, the post holder will provide specialist clinical advice and support to colleagues, patients and families. They will promote evidence-based practice, support implementation of national standards and contribute to quality improvement initiatives that enhance patient safety and experience.

The role includes supporting and developing junior staff through supervision, teaching, coaching and competency assessment. The post holder will act as a role model, fostering a positive learning environment and supporting the development of a skilled and confident workforce.

The successful candidate will work collaboratively with nursing, medical, midwifery and allied health professional colleagues to ensure seamless care for babies and families. They will contribute to service development, support incident reviews and audits, and help identify opportunities to improve clinical outcomes and operational efficiency.

A strong focus on family integrated care is essential. The post holder will ensure parents are supported to participate confidently in their baby's care, promote parent-infant attachment, and work alongside the Infant Feeding Team to maintain and develop UNICEF Baby Friendly standards across the neonatal service.

Person specification

Knowledge

• Understanding of Family Integrated Care principles and their impact on neonatal outcomes
• In depth knowledge of UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative
• Understanding of Information Governance and Confidentiality
• Clinical credibility in the neonatal arena

Experience

• Significant post registration experience of working on a Neonatal Unit (You must already be Qualified in Speciality [QIS] to apply for this
• Experience of working within an MDT and providing advocacy for colleagues and patients
• Experience of coordinating complex patient pathways and supporting timely discharge planning.
• Experience of coaching, mentoring or developing colleagues to improve clinical practice
• Experience of leading a small team
• Experience of leading a quality improvement project from conception to implementation.
• Experience of presenting audit, governance or improvement work to colleagues.

Skills

• Excellent written communication skills with high levels of accuracy
• Competency in IV Skills
• Ability to coordinate the day to day running of a busy neonatal unit when called upon
• Ability to challenge practice professionally and constructively whilst maintaining effective working relationships.
• Skilled at diplomatically challenging unsatisfactory practice with the aim of achieving a positive outcome for all
• Able to support initiation of breastfeeding or expressing

Qualifications

• RSCN, RN Child, RN Adult, RM – you must hold a QIS in Neonatal Care qualification in addition.
• ENB 405, Diploma in Special and Intensive Care of the new-born or equivalent qualification
• ENB 998, SLIP or practice supervisor/assessor training. Or equivalent comparable experience of providing high quality education to colleagues, students and families

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.