Job overview
We are pleased to share this exciting opportunity for experienced Maternity Support Workers to join our Community Midwifery teams caring for women and families at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust.
This role will involve working with and supporting our friendly teams of experienced Community Midwives. You will contribute to the delivery of safe and high quality antenatal and postnatal care to women and families in a range of community settings including, homes, birth centres, children’s centres and GP surgeries.
Main duties of the job
We are seeking caring, motivated and enthusiastic individuals with sound communication skills and a compassionate approach to providing woman and family-centred care. The successful candidate will have recent, relevant experience of working in a care setting.
This role offers the chance to gain and develop a range of invaluable clinical and interpersonal skills and experience, as well as personal and professional development opportunities.
This is a varied role including providing parent education, feeding support to new families and administrative support to the community midwives. The role will include cross site working, as well as lone working at times
To successfully fulfil this role you will need to have a full UK driving licence and access to a car.
Working for our organisation
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust ranks among the top 10 NHS Trusts nationwide and was named the second-best Trust to work for in the South East in the 2023 NHS Staff Survey.
We are a large acute hospital trust in south-east England, providing general hospital services and specialist care to around 600,000 residents in West Kent and East Sussex. With a dedicated and diverse team of over 8,000 staff we are proud to offer specialised cancer services to over two million people through the Kent Oncology Centre.
Fordcombe Hospital, near Tunbridge Wells, became part of the Trust in October 2024. Specialising in planned care, it offers two operating theatres, 28 inpatient and day-care beds, diagnostic services (X-ray, MRI, CT, and endoscopy), and consultation/treatment rooms.
Looking for flexible working?
We are a flexible working-friendly organisation. Whether it’s adjusting your hours or exploring other flexible arrangements, we want to work with you to find the best solution for you, our patients, and the Trust. Talk to us about how we can accommodate your working needs.
Joining us includes a comprehensive benefits package:
1. At least 27 days of annual leave plus public/bank holidays (pro-rata for part-time staff).
2. Membership in the NHS Pension Scheme, with a 20.6% employer contribution and life assurance benefits
3. Blue Light card eligibility
4. And more, additional benefits can be found in the benefits documents below
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
We’ve provided all the details you need about this role in the job description and person specification. Please take a moment to review the criteria in the person specification and share specific examples in your application that demonstrate how you meet these requirements. Please also check your application for errors/omissions prior to submission.
Please note that appointment to this post will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Check at Enhanced Level. (Enhanced level now includes regulated checks against vulnerable adults and children)
All successful applicants will be required to complete our corporate trust induction once a start date had been agreed.
Following your corporate induction you will be expected to attend the Trust’s Clinical Induction Programme for Healthcare Support Workers (which starts on the first day of employment). The programme is full-time (please contact the CSW Induction Programme Lead if you have any issues: ), lasts for two weeks and will involve travelling to both Trust sites. The programme includes two supernumerary shifts in the clinical area (an early and a late shift), all of the other days are classroom-based and run from 9am to 5pm.
Interview Date: To be confirmed
Please note that this role may often attract a high level of applications. Please note this role may close earlier than the original closing date so please ensure you submit your application as soon as possible.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
5. NVQ/Diploma level 3 in Healthcare or an equivalent healthcare qualification (competencies must have been assessed in a healthcare environment).
6. GCSE maths grade A*/9 – C/4 or Functional Skills maths level 2.
7. Experience supporting antenatal and or postnatal families
8. Experience with supporting infant feeding
Desirable criteria
9. Course in infant feeding support
10. Phlebotomy Skills
11. Able to undertake maternal and neonatal observations
12. Experience of teaching small groups
13. Demonstrate the ability to work autonomously
Knowledge & Experience
Essential criteria
14. Good general education.
15. Can compare basic test results to normal values.
16. Able to recognise trends.
17. Previous experience in a maternity setting
Desirable criteria
18. Current healthcare issues
Skills
Essential criteria
19. Good communication skills (written and verbal)
20. Good interpersonal skills.
21. Ability to prioritise workload with supervision.
22. Able to pass knowledge onto others.
23. Able to empathise with patients and their families/friends.
24. Able to work as part of a team.
25. Responsible and reliable.
26. Basic IT skills