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Job summary

Main area
Maternity Support Worker
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 3
Contract
Permanent: Subject to a 6 month probationary period.
Hours
  • Full time
  • Part time
37.5 hours per week (Full or Part time positions)
Job ref
418-MSW6431-EH
Employer
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Luton and Dunstable University Hospital
Town
Luton
Salary
£24,625 - £25,674 pa Pro Rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
17/07/2025 23:59
Interview date
09/08/2025

Employer heading

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust logo

Maternity Support Worker

NHS AfC: Band 3

Job overview

We have an excellent opportunity for new staff to join our busy and friendly Maternity team at Luton and Dunstable Hospital as Maternity Support Workers.

Maternity Support Workers (MSW) provide direct delivery of clinical care to all women and babies accessing maternity services. They may be based within specialist and integrated teams such as in in patient areas, theatre, fetal medicine units and community hubs.

Band 3 MSWs may serve as a point of contact/support for women, babies, and their families and provide clinical, physical, psychological and emotional care and support. They provide appropriate information and, where necessary, signpost to wider support organisations. 

Please note that we are unable to offer sponsorship for this post. 

We do not offer virtual interviews this post.

 

Main duties of the job

To work alongside and under direction of the midwife and other members of the multidisciplinary team in order to ensure the safe and effective care of mothers and babies. 

 Maternity Support Workers will be required to assist in providing personal care for women, including: post operative care, venepuncture, recording of observations and obtaining microbiology specimens. A Maternity Support worker will assist the midwives and wider multidisciplinary team in care of the newborn. Newborn tasks will include: completing observations in line with local guidance, taking newborn blood spot samples and Jaundice Monitoring using Transcutaneous Bilirubinometer and planning care accordingly. 

Responsibilities will include promoting healthy lifestyle for women including smoking cessation, exercise, diet and drug misuse in line with national recommendations and government initiatives. 

 

 

Working for our organisation

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton.  Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

Our values

We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.

Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Care of woman:

To actively participate in the recognition and prevention of maternal illness and respond effectively in an emergency.

To assist mothers with postnatal exercises

To arrange and process microbiological specimens

To obtain maternal capillary blood sample for glucose analysis, in line with Trust policy and guidelines.

To independent undertaking venepuncture in line with national standards and local policy

To independently remove epidural catheter

To use the Haemacue, when asked, to assess the haemoglobin level of a woman, in line with national standards and local policy.

Following appropriate training to undertake group health promotion teaching as agreed with ward/ departmental managers, in line with national frameworks and initiatives

To actively participate in the recognition and prevention of domestic abuse, both physical and mental, reporting any suspicions to the ward manager.

To promote healthy life styles, including smoking cessation, exercise and diet, drug misuse in line with national recommendations and Government initiatives

To undertake routine postoperative care, within Trust and local policies and guidelines

Care of baby:

To weigh the baby

To complete identification and security of the baby, in collaboration with the midwife.

To discuss with the mother normal appearance and range of changing stool and micturition in the health term new-born

To recognise and report to midwife potential signs of neonatal jaundice

To advise mother on care of umbilical cord and surrounding area

To process umbilical cord blood sample for cord gases

To gather urine sample in hospital

To actively participate in the recognition and prevention of neonatal illness and respond effectively in an emergency situation.

To actively participate in the recognition and prevention of child abuse, both physical and mental, reporting any suspicions to the ward manager.

To undertake and document, using Newborn Early Warning Trigger and Track (NEWTT) Chart, routine healthy baby observation (hospital/community), reporting abnormalities to the midwife

To obtain capillary blood sample via heel prick to undertake Newborn Blood Spot testing

Infant feeding:

To support Breast feeding in line with Baby Friendly principles and local policy and guidelines, including:

To assist women to undertake bonding activities,

To assist women to undertake skin to skin,

To assist women to expressing milk

To assist women to use breast pump

To assist women to cup feed healthy, term neonates

Administration:

 To accurately Data input and retrieval into/from computer systems including;

ICE i.e. retrieving test results

CMIs, Maternity Booking system

any other relevant electronic record systems

To request investigations, when competent to undertake obtaining the sample required i.e. Blood samples, Mid-stream urine (MSU) and skin swabs.

To maintain contemporaneous and accurate records of actions taken and care offered.

To make client appointments in line with agreed care pathways and guidelines and record these in the agreed manner.

To undertake follow up of women who do not attend (DNA) appointments, in line with Trust guidelines and policy.

Please see Job Description for full list of main responsibilities and tasks. 

Person specification

Educational Requirements

Essential criteria
  • 5 GSCEs or equivalent
  • Previous clinical experience within an NHS healthcare setting
Desirable criteria
  • Care certificate
  • Level 3 NVQ or Apprenticeship

Skills knowledge and abilities

Essential criteria
  • Excellent written communication skills
Desirable criteria
  • Previous experience working in maternity services
  • Venepuncture trained

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Willingness to undertake additional training

Employer certification / accreditation badges

NHS Pastoral Care Quality AwardApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleAge positiveArmed Forces Covenant (Silver Award)Care quality commission - GoodDisability confident employerNational Preceptorship for Nursing Quality Mark 2024Employer with Heart

Applicant requirements

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.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Tanya Logue
Job title
Recruitment and Education Support in Maternity
Email address
[email protected]
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