Job summary
- Main area
- Maternity
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time - 22.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 432-HR385-26
- Employer
- East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Colchester Hospital
- Town
- Colchester
- Salary
- £49,387 - £56,515 Per annum pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 28/06/2026 23:59
- Interview date
- 14/07/2026
Employer heading
Ward Lead Midwife
NHS AfC: Band 7
We are one of the largest NHS organisation in England. Our scale provides exciting opportunities for development, innovation, research, education and training.
Talk to us about our range of flexible working opportunities, apprenticeships and staff benefits
Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is at the heart of all we do; and it forms part of ESNEFT’s core activities. The Trust operates and relies on everyone treating each other with dignity and respect, to receive equitable and fair treatment in the implementation of Policies, Procedures and in its Practices, to foster positive work relationships, and finally to act with integrity as a professional within ESNEFT as well as a representative of the NHS as a whole. The EDI Agenda reflects the Trust values such as Optimistic, Appreciative and Kind. In line with the NHS Long Term Plan, People Plan, People Promise and a Model Employer intrinsic in the Equality Diversity and Inclusion Agenda, we consistently strive to improve, to take the learning into Action for a better ESNEFT.
If you are passionate about patient care and want to develop your skills and knowledge then we are keen to hear from you.
Job overview
Are you an enthusiastic, passionate and dedicated to provide high quality care midwife?
An opportunity has arisen for an experience midwife to join our team as Ward Lead Midwife. You will act as the midwife in charge of the antenatal and postnatal ward, leading and coordinating the day-to-day operational management of the clinical area. They will provide visible, supportive leadership to the midwifery team, ensuring safe staffing, effective communication, and the delivery of evidence-based care in line with NMC standards and Trust policies.
As part of this role, they will have the opportunity to further develop your leadership, management, and service improvement skills, contributing to the ongoing enhancement of maternity services within our Trust.
This is a permanent post, part time- 22.5 hours per week.
Main duties of the job
Responsible for providing a safe and supportive environment for women, partners and their families.
Provide continuity and stable leadership to the ward team, monitoring and maintaining standards and co-ordinating the delivery of care given by the multi-disciplinary team ensuring safe care is maintained.
Support and lead the ward team and enable midwives to function as practitioners in their own right.
Actively participate in the Trust-wide quality heatmap/accountablility framework and provide monthly information on pre-agreed key indicators relating to financial and human resources, infection control, record keeping and risk management.
Responsibility for ensuring the ward is adequately and appropriately staffed by drawing up off duty rotas on E-Roster and authorising any changes to these rotas.
Responsible for the ward medical and surgical resources ensuring adequate stock levels are set and maintained and that supplies are ordered within the allocated budget.
Possess excellent organisational and communication skills
Provide specialist advice to mothers, midwives and members of the multi-disciplinary team and will be required to liaise with other health professionals and outside agencies to ensure all care and social needs of mothers are met.
Working for our organisation
We are ESNEFT and we provide hospital and community health services to almost one million people across east Suffolk and north Essex. Our dedicated staff deliver care from acute hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, community hospitals, surgeries, community clinics and in patients’ own homes.
We are one of the largest NHS organisations in England, employing more than 12,000 staff.
We pride ourselves on supporting our staff. We offer a wide range of training and development opportunities, as well as flexible working options.
Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.
Our philosophy is that Time Matters to everyone. Across the Trust, we concentrate on improving the things we do and removing those which cause time delays for our staff and patients.
We are investing in our commitment to Time Matters with a partnership with leading electronic patient record (EPR) supplier Epic. This digital transformation will bring what’s widely regarded as the world’s best EPR system to ESNEFT, transforming life in hospital for staff and patients.
Find out about living and working here - www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkPu7HphU8A
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For full details of the responsibilities and duties of this role please see the attached job description.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Registered Midwife
- ENB997 or equivalent teaching and assessing qualification.
- Working towards Degree level
- Safeguarding trained to level 3
- Willingness to undertake management qualification
Desirable criteria
- Registered Nurse
- Leadership qualification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Proven post registration experiences as clinical midwife.
- Extensive antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal clinical practice.
- Evidence of advanced decision making skills.
- Previous ward management experience.
- Recent experience of working in a multidisciplinary team.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working as Band 7 midwife.
- Experience in report writing.
- Budget monitoring skills.
- Experience in conduction appraisals.
- Proven ability in duty rostering.
Applicant requirements
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Saffron Short
- Job title
- Matron for Maternity
- Email address
- [email protected]
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