Clinical Nursing Associate / Assistant Practitioner -­ Neonatal

Job Overview

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.

Please see below for detailed job description of the role.

Main duties of the job

Southampton Neonatal Services is looking for highly motivated, enthusiastic individuals to work across our Transitional Care Unit, and our new 'Woodland Ward' Special Care Baby Unit. We are looking for people who are dedicated to delivering high quality, family-centred care, and who strive to make a difference to babies and their families.

You will be working in both the Transitional Care Unit alongside the midwife, and Woodland Ward - a purpose built, nurse-led unit caring for sick and preterm babies which opened in October 2024.

Our New Woodland Ward Has

• 16 cots, including 4 family integrated care rooms
• A welcoming, caring and safe environment for all
• An ethos of patients and families come first; Family are at the heart of what we do
• Space for a parent to stay with their baby 24 hours a day, encouraging unrestricted access
• Family-Integrated Care where we can provide guidance, and advice to parents in a friendly and supportive environment enabling them to care for their baby. This helps them to develop close and loving relationships with their baby and values parents as partners in their care.
  
  

Working for our organisation

University Hospital Southampton is one of England's largest acute teaching Trusts, offering a wide range of learning and development opportunities to support your career aspirations.

Located on the south coast with an international airport and direct rail links to London, Southampton offers an ideal setting to live and work, with the New Forest, South Downs and Jurassic Coast.

We believe that using technology wisely shows strong time management and commitment to innovation. However, personalizing your recruitment application to highlight your unique skills and experiences is crucial. Relying too heavily on generic, AI-generated content instead of drawing from your own strengths and accomplishments may lead to your application being rejected if multiple candidates present identical or similar information.

At UHS we’re committed to providing a flexible working environment where possible. Whether you are balancing family, study, or your wellbeing with your career, we want to support you so you can help our patients.

At UHS, we proudly champion individuality, recognizing that outstanding care is only possible with a diverse, inclusive team. We’re committed to creating an anti-racist, anti-discriminatory environment where everyone feels valued, safe, and empowered to make a meaningful impact in our communities. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences to join us in building a healthcare community where everyone can belong, thrive, and contribute.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

You will be a NMC registered Nursing Associate or an Assistant Practitioner with a health related foundation degree. You must have experience working within a multi-disciplinary team with a passion for family centred care.

Under the supervision of a registered midwife/nurse, and together with the Multidisciplinary Team, you will be responsible for the assessment, planning, delivery and evaluation of care of babies and their families, supporting the ethos of family-integrated care. You must have good communication and problem solving skills, with the ability to work autonomously as well as within the wider team.

We actively support and promote effective communication with parents during admission through their participation in ward rounds, providing continuity and consistency. You will work alongside Nurses and Allied Health Professionals to provide parent-craft, education and practical support with empathy, kindness and understanding, empowering them to care for their baby independently. Feeding progression is supported in conjunction with the Infant feeding team and speech and language team. We actively promote and support breastfeeding but also support other parent feeding choices Parents are supported to confidently care for their baby to facilitate a safe and timely discharge and transition to community services.

Person specification

Qualifications, Knowledge And Experience

Essential criteria

• Nursing Associate on the NMC register.
• OR Assistant Practitioner with a health-related Foundation Degree e.g. Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care.
• Passionate about caring for families and their babies
• Evidence of numeracy and literacy – minimum national qualification level 2
• Experience of working under appropriate supervision as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Experience of providing and receiving complex, sensitive information.
• Knowledge of nursing procedures and practices in an acute hospital setting.
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Assessed as competent to administer medications.
• Acute apprenticeship units as appropriate to UHS Care Group/Divisional requirements.
• Experience of working with newborn babies/children.
• Extended clinical skills e.g. venesection/cannulation.
  
  

Trust Values

Essential criteria

• Patient First
• Working Together
• Always Improving