Department: Surgery, Paediatrics and Women’s Health
Location: Altnagelvin Hospital, Londonderry & South West Acute Hospital, Enniskillen
Contract and hours: Bank / As & When Required
Closing date: 17 April 2026
Job summary
The post holder will be required to provide a high standard of care to the neonate and their family within the Neonatal Unit, and is expected to develop and utilise specialist enhanced neonatal skills to further promote delivery of care.
The post holder is responsible for providing clinical and managerial leadership; by ensuring that staff feel supported and supervised when delivering neonatal care, and ensuring effective use of all resources is made.
The post holder should demonstrate effective communication within the multidisciplinary team in order to provide comprehensive and cohesive plan of care for the individual neonate.
The post holder will be required to demonstrate their own continuing professional development and support the professional development of colleagues, by ensuring that practice is evidenced-based.
Main responsibilities
- Using evidence based practice and a holistic approach; the post holder will assess, plan, implement and evaluate programmes of care for individual neonates requiring Special Care, High Dependency or Intensive Care.
- To support and advise parents/carers in the planning, management and assessment of care by involving and empowering them to make informed decisions about their baby’s care e.g. feeding methods, audiology checks, blood transfusion, new-born screening programme, and discharge planning using the principles of Family Integrated Care to underpin practice.
- Act as the neonate’s advocate, by providing a safe environment and ensuring optimal neonatal outcomes.
- Attend deliveries and actively participate in resuscitation, without direct supervision
- Respect the need for privacy and dignity of the neonate and their family and uphold religious, spiritual and cultural needs.
- Maintain the safe custody and use of medications, whilst ensuring own administration competencies and knowledge is up to date, and that accurate records are maintained, in line with NMC standards and Trust policies.
- Demonstrate effective communication and sensitivity with families, especially when providing support and information during stressful situations such as breaking bad news.
- Demonstrate effective communication with a wide range of professionals/agencies as required, in order to explore difficult issues and make complex decisions e.g. transfer of care, substance misuse and initiation of child protection measures.
- Demonstrate effective time management by ensuring that the day to day running of the unit is carried out in a timely manner.
- Demonstrate competency and safe maintenance and storage of all medical devices within own sphere of responsibility.
- Demonstrate understanding and knowledge of the need to provide individualised developmentally supportive care, and actively address any noxious stimuli such as over handling and prolonged alarms.
- Support junior staff in the early implementation of discharge care planning.
- Involve parents/carers in the promotion of health by addressing education needs, such as back to sleep positioning, smoking cessation and immunisation programmes.
- Demonstrate an ability to develop and utilise own specialist enhanced nursing skills; such as interpretation of clinical results/investigations, venepuncture and cannulation.
- Liaise with the maternity department regarding any potential/ actual neonatal issues, and is aware of the local escalation policy for out of hours.
- Demonstrate the ability to make appropriate clinical judgments and assessment regarding unit occupancy and acceptance of referrals, in order to facilitate the smooth running of the unit and to support the Neonatal Network.
- Demonstrate responsibility for the implementation of the correct referral process to other health care practitioners e.g. physiotherapist; SALT.
- Actively promote breastfeeding and milk expression, ensuring that own knowledge is up to date.
- Demonstrate knowledge of Trust protocols, policies and guidelines and participate in the development and review of local protocols, policies and guidelines.
- Demonstrate ability to write precise, accurate and contemporaneous nursing records, reports, statements and any other required documentation.
- Demonstrate good knowledge and understanding of the IT systems in place and ensures complete patient data records on the Badger system and EPIC.
- Demonstrate awareness of any child protection issues within the unit and in depth knowledge on any action that is required.
- Contribute to and participate in multidisciplinary case conferences, as required
- Act as a mentor for band 5 and newly appointed staff, pre and post registration student nurses and midwives
- Demonstrate awareness of the Clinical governance procedures and report all incidents, complaints or accidents to comply with Trust Guidelines and assist and support in the investigation and resolution of the same
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the need for effective Infection Prevention Control Measures to be employed, and ensures the all ANTT procedures are adhered to.
- Demonstrate an ability to keep up to date with clinical developments within unit, in particular ensuring regular reviewing existing communication strategies, e.g. SharePoint; Infection Control Communication; Safety Briefings.
For complete details view the full job description in the Additional Information section below
