Lead Midwife for Infant Feeding

University Hospital of North Midlands NHS Trust

The closing date is 09 April 2026

You will be responsible for leading the infant feeding strategy and teams to ensure continued compliance and accreditation with UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI). You will be responsible for training programme development and delivery pertaining to infant feeding for all members of the MDT. As lead for infant feeding, you are responsible for updating and developing guidelines related to infant feeding and disseminating these out to the teams. You will provide clinical expertise regarding infant feeding throughout the trust as required. As a qualified midwife you will have specialised knowledge and experience within this field, and the confidence to share this knowledge with other health professionals.

Main duties of the job

• Provide appropriate support to women in respect of their feeding choices.
• Develop and implement individual programmes of care for women with difficulty feeding their baby. Assist midwives to continue to deliver plan of care.
• Develop and implement the tongue tie service at UHNM. Assist midwives to train and deliver the tongue tie care to women and their babies.
• Ensure staff are fully trained so that women and their partners are provided with the best information necessary for them to make informed decisions about their new-born's care and method of feeding.
• Act as an advocate for the service users.
• Coordinate BFI assessments and accreditation visits to ensure continued compliance and maintenance of BFI standards.

About us

University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust is one of the largest and most modern in the country. Based across two sites, Royal Stoke in Stoke-on-Trent and County Hospital in Stafford, we are proud to serve around three million people and we're highly regarded for our facilities, teaching and research. We are the specialist centre for major trauma for the North Midlands and North Wales.

All of our employees make a valuable contribution regardless of role here at UHNM and we are proud of our wide range of development packages aimed at ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to fulfil their true potential.

UHNM create and encourage a culture of inclusion, providing equal opportunities for career development that are fair and transparent. We are committed to being a diverse and inclusive employer and foster a culture in which all staff feel valued and respected. In return we ask all of our employees to make a commitment to the values, co created by staff, patients and carers, and that unite us as a Trust.

At University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust we know that investing in, supporting and developing our staff has a direct impact on the quality of care that we deliver. Our employees are as important as our patients and the population that we serve.

Job responsibilities

1. Will work closely with the Matron, Deputy and Director of Midwifery regarding all quality and management issues.
2. Expected to maintain a visible presence in all areas providing clear focus and effective leadership.
3. Named budget holder and authorised signatory for financial resources with responsibility for managing the area's resources in an effective manner.
4. Accountable for managing staff contracted hours, sickness and absence.
5. Responsible for the implementation of audits pertaining to infant feeding particularly the monitoring of breastfeeding rates. To disseminate the information to staff via the correct governance channels.

Person Specification Essential Qualifications

• First level registration - Midwifery. Registered with the Nursing & Midwifery Council.
• Significant experience working at Band 6.
• Demonstrate evidence of on going continuous professional development.
• Teaching and Assessing Qualification (NMC Recognised).
• Post Graduate Qualifications specific training in breast feeding e.g. NCT, UNICEF Course.

Knowledge, Skills, Training and Experience

• Clinical management experience.
• Thorough and up to date knowledge of Midwifery theory and best practice.
• Understanding the principles and application of governance and audit.
• Demonstrates ability to apply research based practice.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

University Hospital of North Midlands NHS Trust

£47,810 to £54,710 a year, pro rata