Job summary
Are you an experienced, forward-thinking midwife who is passionate about developing people, improving services and making a lasting difference for women, babies and families?

This is an exciting opportunity to join Somerset maternity services as our Practice Development and Improvement Lead Midwife, a senior clinical leadership role where you will shape the future of maternity care across both Musgrove Park Hospital and Yeovil Hospital. Drawing on your clinical expertise, leadership skills and passion for education, you will help create a culture where learning, innovation and continuous improvement thrive.

Working closely with maternity leaders, multidisciplinary colleagues, service users and partner organisations, you will play a key role in developing staff capability, embedding evidence-based practice and driving meaningful improvements in safety, quality and patient experience. Importantly, you will remain connected to frontline care through regular clinical practice and participation in the on-call rota, ensuring your leadership is grounded in real-world experience.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a midwife who wants to influence maternity services at a strategic level while continuing to make a direct impact on clinical care.

Main duties of the job
As the Practice Development and Improvement Lead Midwife, you will:

• Provide visible, compassionate and inspiring clinical leadership across Somerset maternity services.
• Lead and support education, training and workforce development programmes that help colleagues reach their full potential.
• Drive quality improvement initiatives that deliver measurable benefits for women, babies, families and staff.
• Work alongside multidisciplinary teams to implement and embed best practice, clinical standards and service improvements.
• Use audit findings, workforce data, learning from incidents and patient feedback to identify opportunities for improvement and innovation.
• Support the development of competency frameworks, training strategies and professional development pathways.
• Champion a culture of learning, inclusion, psychological safety and continuous improvement.
• Provide expert clinical advice in complex situations and support the implementation of national safety programmes and recommendations.
• Collaborate with regional partners, higher education institutions and maternity stakeholders to strengthen practice and education across the system.
• Contribute to wider maternity transformation programmes across Somerset while maintaining clinical credibility through hands-on practice and participation in the on-call rota.

About us
At Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, we're committed to supporting our employees with a range of benefits designed to enhance your professional and personal life. We offer:

• Flexible working options to help you balance work and life
• NHS pension scheme for long-term financial security
• Generous annual leave allowance to recharge and relax
• A strong focus on career development to help you grow and achieve your potential

Additionally, you'll gain access to our Blue Light Card, unlocking exclusive discounts on shopping, dining, and leisure activities, as well as NHS-specific perks to support you both inside and outside of work.

We are proud to foster a diverse, skilled, and inclusive workforce, and we encourage applications from all backgrounds.

Why Somerset? Somerset offers the perfect blend of idyllic countryside, outstanding areas of natural beauty, and breathtaking coastlines, with vibrant cities like Bristol, Bath, and Exeter just a short drive away - and only two hours to London.

The region is home to excellent educational facilities, and with affordable housing compared to other parts of the country, it's a great place to build both your career and your future.

Somerset truly has it all - the peaceful countryside and cosmopolitan city life, with something for everyone to enjoy.

Job responsibilities
This role offers the opportunity to become a key driver of excellence within maternity services, helping to ensure every family receives safe, personalised and evidence-based care.

You will work with a high degree of autonomy, partnering with senior leaders and frontline teams to develop, implement and evaluate programmes that strengthen both clinical practice and workforce capability. Your ability to motivate others, foster engagement and support positive change will be central to your success.

A significant part of the role involves developing and empowering colleagues. You will support learning and development initiatives, facilitate multidisciplinary education, provide coaching and mentorship, and help create an environment where staff feel confident, supported and able to grow professionally.

You will also play an important role in quality improvement and governance, translating learning, evidence and national policy into practical improvements that enhance safety, outcomes and patient experience. By analysing data, identifying trends and supporting improvement projects, you will help ensure maternity services continue to evolve and deliver the highest standards of care.

We're looking for an experienced registered midwife with strong clinical credibility, excellent communication skills and a proven ability to influence practice and lead change. You will be confident working across professional boundaries, building collaborative relationships and supporting teams through service development and transformation.

In return, you'll have the opportunity to make a genuine impact across maternity services, help shape the future workforce, contribute to system-wide improvements and play a leading role in delivering exceptional care for women, babies and families across Somerset

Qualifications
Essential

• NMC Midwifery registration
• Evidence of ongoing continued professional development
• Instructor for NLS or ALSO
• Mentorship qualification or ENB 997 (or equivalent).

Desirable

• Training in PSIRF and human factors
• Cert Ed or PGCE or working towards

Experience
Essential

• Expert clinical midwife
• Minimum of 3 years clinical experience within a Consultant led Obstetric Unit.
• Evidence of continuing educational/enhanced learning within a specialism.
• Has facilitated and confident in delivering MDT skills-based learning
• Experience of teaching in a range of midwifery settings

Additional Criteria
Essential

• Understanding and experience of regulatory (MIS, CQC) maternity standards
• Have an in-depth knowledge of relevant National and Local Health Policy issues and their implications to the Maternal and Child Health agenda.
• Clinically competent with perineal suturing, IV cannulation and resuscitation skills

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.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details
Employer name: Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Musgrove Park Hospital, Musgrove Road, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 5DA, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.somersetft.nhs.uk/

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Hiring Manager
Kate Beaumont
kate.beaumont@somersetFT.nhs.uk