Bracken Birth Centre Lead Midwife

Closing date: 09 November 2026

Salary: £49,387 to £56,515 a year

Band:
Band 7 (Agenda for change)

Working pattern:
Part-time

Contract:

Permanent

Location:

Bracken House, Crewkerne Road, Chard, Somerset, TA20 1YA

The Bracken Birth Centre Lead Midwife is responsible for providing strong clinical, professional and operational leadership to ensure the delivery of safe, effective, personalised and high-quality maternity care within the Bracken Birth Centre. Working closely with Midwifery Matrons, senior midwives, obstetric and neonatal colleagues, the post holder will maintain a well-led service that places women, babies and families at the centre of all decision-making.

The role involves the day-to-day management of the birth centre, including workforce planning, staff leadership, resource management, service delivery, governance and quality improvement. The post holder will be responsible for monitoring and maintaining standards of care, promoting evidence-based practice, managing risk, supporting patient safety initiatives and ensuring compliance with Trust policies and national standards.

As a clinical leader and role model, the post holder will support and develop midwifery staff, foster a positive and inclusive team culture, and contribute to service development across maternity services. They will champion the philosophy of physiological birth, informed choice and personalised care, ensuring women receive compassionate, respectful and responsive care throughout their maternity journey while promoting continuous improvement in clinical outcomes and patient experience.

The Bracken Birth Centre Lead Midwife will provide clinical, professional and operational leadership to ensure the delivery of safe, effective, high-quality and personalised maternity care within the birth centre. The post holder will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the service, including workforce planning, staff management, resource allocation, rostering and service coordination, ensuring that care is delivered in accordance with Trust policies, national standards and best practice.

Working closely with Midwifery Matrons, obstetric and neonatal colleagues, the post holder will act as a clinical role model, promoting evidence-based practice, maintaining high standards of care and supporting continuous quality improvement. They will lead on patient safety initiatives, risk management, clinical governance, audit and the implementation of learning from incidents, complaints and service reviews to improve outcomes and patient experience.

The post holder will support, supervise and develop midwives, maternity support workers and student midwives, fostering a positive team culture that promotes learning, wellbeing and professional development. They will champion the philosophy of physiological birth, informed choice and personalised maternity care, ensuring women, babies and families remain at the centre of all decision-making whilst contributing to the strategic development of maternity services across Somerset NHS Foundation Trust.

• Overall responsibility for day-to-day management and operational delivery of the birth centre, including staffing levels, resource deployment and a safe clinical environment
• Lead workforce planning, rostering, annual leave management and sickness absence management
• Maintain credible clinical practice as a role model and expert resource; oversee appraisals, supervision, training and competency development
• Monitor standards of care through clinical governance, audit, quality improvement and compliance with Trust and national maternity standards
• Lead investigations, support management of incidents and complaints, and embed learning from reviews and audits
• Champion physiological birth, informed choice and personalised maternity care, promoting evidence-based practice
• Contribute to service development, policy implementation and national maternity transformation programmes
• Manage budgets, equipment and supplies in line with Trust financial procedures; participate in the maternity on-call rota and deputise for the Midwifery Matron

• 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
• Access to the Blue Light Card, with exclusive discounts on shopping, dining and leisure, plus…