Band 6 Midwife - Community, Bedford MK42 9DJ

Job summary

A midwife plays a vital role as a constant, reassuring presence during one of the most significant moments in a family's life. The role focuses on delivering holistic, woman- and baby-centred care, recognising pregnancy and birth as profound and natural events. You act as the calm support and skilled professional who ensures women feel informed, supported, and empowered throughout their journey.

Using your clinical expertise, you will assess, plan, implement, and evaluate personalised care across the antenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal periods. You may lead care independently or work closely with the wider multi-disciplinary team to ensure the best outcomes for mother and baby.

Leadership is central to the role. You will help ensure the smooth running of the ward, department, or community caseload, providing direction and continuity on each shift. You will also build strong partnerships with external agencies and community groups to support compassionate, joined-up care.

You will use sound clinical judgement to deliver safe, effective care within Trust guidelines and the professional standards set out in the NMC Midwives Rules and Standards. Autonomy, accountability, and advocacy are key elements of your practice.

This role suits someone who wants to make a meaningful difference and who values the strength of women, the importance of choice, and truly personalised care.

Main duties of the job

• Provide midwifery leadershipacross all areas of practice, demonstrating autonomy, strong clinical judgement, advocacy for women, and confident decision-making.
• Deliver high-quality midwifery care, ensuring women and their families receive accurate, up-to-date advice in all care settings, in line with best practice, NICE guidance, and national initiatives.
• Act as the professional leadfor low-risk women, promoting and supporting the normal birthing process.
• Assess and refer women appropriatelyfor specialist counselling and support when required, including fetal anomaly screening, bereavement care, sexual health, and services for vulnerable or disadvantaged women such as young mothers, refugees, those experiencing homelessness, domestic violence, or psychological difficulties.
• Work collaboratively with the child protection teamto identify and support women and families where concerns exist around safeguarding, domestic violence, substance misuse, or additional needs.
• Support Band 7 Team Managersin fulfilling their leadership responsibilities.
• Participate in the clinical on-call rotato provide essential support to the homebirth service.
• Work flexibly across inpatient areaswhen required to meet service needs.

About us

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.

Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job.

Job description

Job responsibilities

The Job Description and Person Specification are attached to this job, please review for the full details and responsibilities

• Promote the wellbeing and safeguarding of childrenand young people by following Trust policies, acting promptly on concerns, communicating effectively, and sharing information appropriately.
• Assess, plan, implement, and evaluate carefor women and babies within a defined caseload, using evidencebased practice to justify all care provided.
• Develop strong links with partner agenciesto ensure a seamless, coordinated approach to maternity care.
• Work within the boundaries of professional autonomyas outlined in the NMC Code (2015).
• Review clinical practices to reduce risk, ensuring all incidents are recorded, reported, and followed up with appropriate actions to prevent recurrence.
• Promote health and wellbeingthrough education and support for women, their families, carers, and colleagues.
• Monitor and maintain high standards of carewhen providing antenatal and postnatal services in a range of settings, including womens homes, health centres, family hubs, and the hospital.
• Provide health education and adviceto improve outcomes, including counselling before and after antenatal/postnatal screening, and offering support around smoking cessation, drug use, and alcohol misuse.

Job description
Job responsibilities

The Job Description and Person Specification are attached to this job, please review for the full details and responsibilities

• Promote the wellbeing and safeguarding of childrenand young people by following Trust policies, acting promptly on concerns, communicating effectively, and sharing information appropriately.
• Assess, plan, implement, and evaluate carefor women and babies within a defined caseload, using evidencebased practice to justify all care provided.
• Develop strong links with partner agenciesto ensure a seamless, coordinated approach to maternity care.
• Work within the boundaries of professional autonomyas outlined in the NMC Code (2015).
• Review clinical practices to reduce risk, ensuring all incidents are recorded, reported, and followed up with appropriate actions to prevent recurrence.
• Promote health and wellbeingthrough education and support for women, their families, carers, and colleagues.
• Monitor and maintain high standards of carewhen providing antenatal and postnatal services in a range of settings, including womens homes, health centres, family hubs, and the hospital.
• Provide health education and adviceto improve outcomes, including counselling before and after antenatal/postnatal screening, and offering support around smoking cessation, drug use, and alcohol misuse.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Midwife with evidence of degree qualification in Midwifery
• Evidence of working as a midwife in the UK
• Evidence of ongoing further professional and personal development

Desirable

• Teaching qualification/Mentorship/N97

Experience

Essential

• Suitable Post-Registration experience within relevant speciality
• Experience in all clinical settings, including the community setting
• In depth knowledge of antenatal and postnatal pathways
• Awareness of Safeguarding processes
• Clinical experience in low and high risk intrapartum areas including cannulation, caring for women with epidurals, suturing

Desirable

• Homebirth experience
• Participation in an on call rota
• Experience in delivering parent education

Knowledge

Essential

• Teaching /assessment skills
• Organisational and negotiation skills
• Working knowledge of the Public Health role of the midwife including: Child Protection, Domestic Abuse, Substance Misuse Mental Health, Healthy Weight Management
• Knowledge of the screening pathways

Desirable

• Knowledge of clinical governance

Skills

Essential

• Ability to work effectively autonomously and as part of the MDT
• Effective communicator both written and verbal
• Computer literate
• Demonstrate good leadership and organisation skills

Person Specification
Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Midwife with evidence of degree qualification in Midwifery
• Evidence of working as a midwife in the UK
• Evidence of ongoing further professional and personal development

Desirable

• Teaching qualification/Mentorship/N97

Experience

Essential

• Suitable Post-Registration experience within relevant …