Job overview

The Band 3 Maternity Support Worker (MSW) will play a vital role within the maternity department’s Smoking Cessation Team, supporting pregnant women and birthing people to reduce and stop smoking throughout pregnancy and the postnatal period. The post holder will work collaboratively with midwives, health professionals, and the wider multidisciplinary team to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes.

This role is predominantly community-based, involving Traveling to rural locations for direct engagement with patients in their homes or local community settings. The MSW will provide ongoing encouragement, practical support, and guidance to help women reduce smoking, with a key focus on lowering smoking rates at the time of delivery. 

The post holder will receive all relevant training required for the role, including smoking cessation interventions, communication skills, and use of monitoring equipment.

This is an excellent opportunity for an individual who is passionate about improving maternal and infant health outcomes and enjoys working directly with patients in a community setting.

Main duties of the job

A Smoking Cessation Maternity Support Worker (Band 3 MSW) is responsible for delivering high‑quality, person‑centred care while supporting the wider maternity team. Key duties include:

• Professional communication with colleagues, women, birthing people, and families to ensure safe, respectful interactions.

• Promoting individualised care and acting as an advocate for women/birthing people when the midwife is not present.

• Accurate data recording in both written and electronic systems in line with Trust policies.

• Working in partnership with families and internal/external professionals to ensure coordinated, effective care.

• Supporting national health initiatives and contributing to service improvement.

• Demonstrating Trust values consistently in daily interactions with service users and colleagues.

• Supporting patients to engage with smoking cessation pathways and interventions
• Providing brief advice and promoting healthy lifestyle choices during pregnancy
• Monitoring and documenting progress, including carbon monoxide (CO) readings where appropriate
• Building supportive, non-judgemental relationships to encourage behaviour change
• Contributing to service targets, including reducing smoking at time of delivery (SATOD)

Working for our organisation

#BeKnown at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. By us. By our patients. By our community

We are a busy, friendly, rural NHS Trust providing high-quality care and compassion to more than a quarter of a million people across west Suffolk. We care for, treat and support people in hospital, at home and in various community settings.

The West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds provides acute and secondary care services (emergency department, maternity and neonatal services, day surgery unit, eye treatment centre, Macmillan unit and children's ward). It has 500+ beds and is a partner teaching hospital of the University of Cambridge.

Adult and paediatric community services, provided in collaboration with West Suffolk Alliance partners, include a range of nursing, therapy, specialist, and ongoing temporary care and rehabilitation, some at our Newmarket Community Hospital.

We do our utmost to achieve outstanding clinical outcomes for patients and our values of fairness, inclusivity, respect, safety and team work guide how we work and behave as a team.

With nearly 5,000 staff, from all over the world, we strive to make our organisation a great place to work. Whatever your role or ambition, we want to help you be the best you can be.

We promote a diverse and inclusive community where everyones voice counts and you can #BeKnown for whoever you are.

Join us. What will you #BeKnown for?