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Job summary

Main area
Paediatrics
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 7
Contract
Fixed term: 12 months (Secondment also considered)
Hours
Part time - 36 hours per week (pro rata per annum)
Job ref
214-W&C-7714447
Employer
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
King's Mill Hospital
Town
Mansfield
Salary
£47,810 - £54,710 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
23/02/2026 23:59

Employer heading

Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust logo

Neonatal Practice Development Matron

NHS AfC: Band 7

Thank you for your interest in this role, we would be delighted to welcome you to Sherwood Forest Hospitals.

Sherwood is nationally recognised as being an excellent place to work and deliver care. We are rightly proud of the 5,500 colleagues who work here and know that happy colleagues deliver better care.

Our teams work in a supportive, inclusive environment, which nurtures wellbeing and has opportunities for development and progression. We do not just care for our patients, we also care for you.

At Sherwood Forest Hospitals, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. As such, we particularly welcome applications from people who identify as Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic, or Disabled. We believe that a diverse team better represents the communities we serve and brings a wealth of perspectives and experiences to our work.

Job overview

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced neonatal leader to shape the future of neonatal care at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. As Practice Development Matron (Neonates), you will drive excellence, innovation and compassionate, evidence-based practice across the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, ensuring consistently safe, high-quality care for babies and their families.

You will be a visible and credible clinical leader, combining expert neonatal knowledge with a strong commitment to developing others. Working closely with the Children and Young People’s Matron, ward and unit leaders, and the multidisciplinary team, you will lead practice development, embed best practice and foster a positive learning culture where staff feel supported and empowered.

Operating at both clinical and strategic levels, you will lead the development, implementation and evaluation of clinical guidelines, audit, research and quality improvement initiatives. Using data, benchmarking and family feedback, you will drive improvements in outcomes and experience. You will also support education, competency development and career progression, helping to build a skilled, confident and motivated neonatal workforce.

This role offers a committed neonatal nurse leader the opportunity to lead meaningful change and make a lasting difference for babies, families and staff.

Main duties of the job

To understand the role in more detail, please refer to the attached job description and person specification.

Working for our organisation

We are an award-winning NHS Foundation Trust working alongside health and social care colleagues across the county to provide acute and community healthcare services to more than 420,000 people across Mansfield, Ashfield, Newark and Sherwood, and parts of Derbyshire and Lincolnshire.

We put the patient at the heart of everything that we do and it is our aim to make sure that every patient is treated as we would want a member of our own family to be treated. At the same time, we expect our staff to be caring, kind and courteous to each other and to look out for each other. We believe that we are truly a clinically-led organisation.

We are proud that our Trust colleagues have voted us the best acute Trust to work for in the East Midlands for seven years running in the National NHS Staff Survey, while the Care Quality Commission has rated our Trust as ‘outstanding’ for care and our King’s Mill Hospital as the only ‘outstanding’ NHS-run hospital in the East Midlands.

Not all of our roles are eligible for visa sponsorship. To find out which roles are eligible, please refer to the shortage occupation list found here:

Skilled Worker visa: eligible healthcare and education jobs - GOV.UK

Home Office guidance has changed as of 9th April. Anyone that requires switching visa type may not be eligible for sponsorship even if the role is on the shortage occupation list.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To understand the role in more detail, please refer to the attached job description and person specification.

Person specification

Knowledge Requirements

Essential criteria
  • Ability to respond to, prioritise and analyse complex problems/situations and ensure effective interventions are put in place.
  • Ability to generate and present reports and documents.
  • Deal effectively with clinical issues within defined procedures/guidelines
  • Demonstrate insight in the use of data to influence patient care and services
Desirable criteria
  • Demonstrate knowledge of current issues related to NHS strategy and policy
  • Use of clinical benchmarking to influence patient care
  • Ability in the use of appraisal, personal development review and training needs analysis
  • Use of the knowledge and skills framework

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Registered Nurse
  • Qualified in Speciality in Neonatal Care
  • NLS trained
  • Qualification at First Degree level
  • Evidence of continuing professional development
  • Continuing professional development/reflective profile
  • Teaching and Assessing qualification
Desirable criteria
  • Completion of all local competency packages
  • Research training/experience
  • ECDL
  • Masters level qualification

Further Training

Essential criteria
  • Willingness to undertake further training

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Managerial experience at band 7 in the NHS
  • Evidence of participating in organisational change that has led to changes in quality
  • Proven track record in leadership and management
  • Evidence of leading Trust wide projects
Desirable criteria
  • Audit or research within the clinical area
  • Formal teaching of groups of staff
  • Has undertaken packages relevant to role and Specialty

Contractual Requirements

Essential criteria
  • Flexible and adaptable
  • Enhanced CRB clearance
  • Ability to work inline with the 6 C’s
  • Enthusiastic and well-motivated
  • Confidence
  • Recruitment and selection of staff
Desirable criteria
  • Successful implementation and management of a nursing change process
  • Evidence of formal teaching experience
  • Attendance at conferences / study days

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPathway to excellenceCare quality commission - GoodCarer Friendly Employer 2021Mindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerCare4NottsTime to changeFair Train Silver StandardStep into healthNational Preceptorship for Nursing Quality MarkArmed Forces Covenant

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

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Lynsey Lord
Job title
NICU Ward Leader
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01623 622515
Additional information

ext. 6965

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