Senior Healthcare Support Worker

Come and join our Neonatal Team in Exeter

Are you passionate about making a difference to babies and their families at one of the most important and sometimes most challenging times in their lives?

We are looking for an enthusiastic, compassionate and motivated Band 3 Senior Neonatal Healthcare Support Worker to join our friendly and supportive team within our 26 cot Local Neonatal Unit (LNU) at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.

We are extremely proud to have achieved UNICEF Baby Friendly Gold accreditation, recognising our commitment to providing the highest standards of care and support for infant feeding and parent–baby relationships.

Our neonatal service provides care for babies requiring a range of neonatal care, and our support workers are a valued and integral part of the multidisciplinary team.

You will work alongside an experienced neonatal team to provide safe, high-quality and family-centred care.

More detail about the role

We are looking for someone who is compassionate, enthusiastic, motivated and keen to develop their skills within neonatal care.

We would particularly welcome applicants who:

• Have previous clinical care or healthcare experience.
• Have neonatal experience or experience caring for babies and families – desirable, but not essential.
• Are compassionate and understand the importance of family‑centred care.
• Have excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Are enthusiastic about supporting infant feeding and parent–baby relationships and maintaining our UNICEF Baby Friendly Gold standards.
• Are willing to learn and undertake the specialist clinical competencies required for the role.
• Can work calmly and effectively within a busy clinical environment.
• Are flexible and able to work as part of our 24‑hour neonatal service, including days, nights and weekends.

Working under the direction of our registered neonatal nurses, your role will include supporting the delivery of individualised care, helping parents to become confident in caring for their baby, supporting feeding and undertaking a range of observations and clinical activities appropriate to your role and competencies.

This can include:

• Providing direct care to babies and supporting their parents and families.
• Supporting parents with their baby's everyday care and helping them develop confidence before going home.
• Supporting breast, bottle and nasogastric feeding following appropriate training and competency assessment.
• Undertaking and recording observations including temperature, respiratory rate, pulse, oxygen saturations and weight.
• Developing additional clinical skills such as blood glucose monitoring, blood sampling and other neonatal‑specific competencies.
• Supporting registered nurses and medical staff during procedures and investigations.
• Maintaining a safe, clean and welcoming neonatal environment.
• Providing compassionate support to families who may be experiencing an emotional and stressful time.

The team

This is an exciting opportunity to become part of a team where family-integrated care is at the heart of what we do.

We recognise that admission to a neonatal unit can be an overwhelming experience for families. Our aim is not only to provide excellent care to babies, but to work in partnership with parents – helping them feel involved, informed and increasingly confident in caring for their baby.

For the right person, this role offers an excellent opportunity to build a career within neonatal care, developing both your clinical skills and your experience of supporting babies and families.

Working Pattern: The role involves working as part of our 24‑hour neonatal service, including long shifts, nights and weekends according to service requirements.

As an inclusive employer, the Royal Devon values diversity…