Transitional Care Lead Nurse

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust; Chelmsford; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in the UK seeks a Neonatal Transitional Care Lead Nurse to lead a vital care service for newborns. This role involves developing individualized care plans and ensuring high-quality, family-centered care. The ideal candidate will have substantial experience in neonatal care and strong leadership skills, with a focus on collaboration and service improvement initiatives.

Qualifications

• 5 years of post-registration experience as a Registered Nurse (Child) or Registered Midwife.
• Good knowledge of safeguarding policies.
• Substantial experience in neonatal and/or transitional care.

Responsibilities

• Lead the transitional care service and ensure high-quality patient care.
• Develop individualized care plans for newborns.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams for safe early discharge.

Skills

Leadership

Clinical assessment

Communication

Organizational skills

Education

Registered Nurse (Child) or Registered Midwife

Job description

The Neonatal Transitional Care Lead Nurse plays a pivotal role in delivering and leading high-quality, safe, and compassionate care for newborns who require additional support at birth but do not need admission to a neonatal unit. This includes babies with needs such as temperature regulation, feeding support, treatment for jaundice or hypoglycemia, or those exposed to maternal substance use.

The post-holder will lead the development and coordination of the transitional care service, working closely with maternity, neonatal, and community teams to ensure seamless, family-centered care that keeps mothers and babies together wherever clinically appropriate.

This role also presents an exciting opportunity for service development, with the potential to help establish a Neonatal Outreach Team. This evolving aspect of the role would focus on supporting early discharge, home monitoring, parental education, and continuity of care for infants transitioning from hospital to home.

Main duties of the job

• Provide expert clinical leadership and oversight of the transitional care service.
• Develop, implement, and monitor individualized care plans for babies requiring transitional care.
• Collaborate with the wider multidisciplinary team to support safe early discharge and reduce unnecessary neonatal admissions.
• Promote and embed family-integrated care principles to support parental involvement and bonding.
• Act as a clinical educator and mentor to nursing and midwifery staff within transitional care.
• Support and lead quality improvement initiatives and audits to enhance care standards and outcomes.
• Maintain high standards of infection control, documentation, and safeguarding practices.
• Engage in workforce planning, staff development, and rota coordination for transitional care services.
• Being part of the scoping, planning, and potential implementation of a Neonatal Outreach Team to provide follow-up care at home for babies discharged from transitional or neonatal care.

Person Specification

• Registered Nurse (Child) or Registered Midwife with active NMC registration
• 5 years post Registered Nurse (Child) or Registered Midwife with active NMC registration
• Good working knowledge of safeguarding policies and procedures
• Substantial post-registration experience in neonatal and/or transitional care settings
• Strong leadership and team coordination abilities
• In-depth understanding of neonatal transitional care principles and national guidance (e.g., BAPM, NICE, NHS Long Term Plan)
• Evidence of involvement in service improvement, change management, or innovation
• Capable of working independently while also collaborating across multidisciplinary teams

Skills & Abilities

• Strong leadership and team coordination abilities
• Excellent clinical assessment and decision-making skills
• Effective written and verbal communication skills with families and professionals
• Organised and able to manage competing priorities effectively

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.

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce and welcome applications from all sections of the community.