Bereavement Lead Midwife

Job summary
The Bereavement Lead Midwife provides compassionate, specialist care and leadership for women and families experiencing pregnancy loss, stillbirth, fetal loss, or neonatal death. Working collaboratively across the multidisciplinary team, the post holder ensures bereavement care is delivered to the highest standards, supporting families through some of the most challenging experiences of their lives.

Responsibilities include coordinating, implementing, and evaluating bereavement care pathways to ensure women and families receive personalised, safe, and effective care. The Bereavement Lead Midwife acts as a specialist resource for midwifery and medical staff, offering guidance, training, and support on the clinical, emotional, psychological, and administrative aspects of bereavement care.

The post holder is responsible for monitoring service quality, promoting continuity of care, and using patient feedback, audit, and learning to drive continuous improvement. They ensure care is delivered in accordance with NMC standards, Trust policies, and organisational values, while championing professional accountability and excellence in practice.

A key aspect of the role is leadership and workforce development, providing supervision, mentorship, and support to staff, fostering a culture of compassionate, family-centred care. The Bereavement Lead Midwife also leads care for women during pregnancies following loss, offering specialist support and reassurance throughout their journey.

Main duties of the job
The Bereavement Lead Midwife provides specialist support to women and families experiencing pregnancy loss, stillbirth, fetal loss, or neonatal death. Working collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team, the post holder is responsible for assessing, planning, delivering, and evaluating high-quality bereavement care, ensuring families receive compassionate, safe, and individualised support. The role includes providing specialist training, guidance, and education to midwifery and medical staff on the clinical, psychological, emotional, and administrative aspects of bereavement care. The post holder acts as a key resource, promoting best practice and ensuring systems are in place to deliver effective, continuous care across the maternity service. The Bereavement Lead Midwife monitors service quality, incorporates patient feedback to drive improvements, and champions professional accountability, ensuring practice aligns with NMC standards, Trust policies, values, and behavioural expectations. They also provide leadership, line management, supervision, and support to staff, enabling them to achieve their full potential and maintain high standards of care. In addition, the post holder leads care for women experiencing a subsequent pregnancy following loss, offering specialist support and reassurance throughout their pregnancy journey.

About us
One Team One Trust - There are many reasons to work at our Trust. From our commitment to putting people first to our accessible services and award winning teams. We have a passion for research, innovation and tackling inequalities. We are committed to respect, fairness and civility and promote a compassionate, caring and positive culture / working environment.

The Trust employs around 8,746 people and provides a range of hospital services to a local community of around 430,000 residents. We offer our staff outstanding benefits - Fitness Centre (SRH), libraries at both hospital sites, chaplaincy support and access to a Care Co-ordinator to help staff with childcare arrangements.

Details
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 7
Salary: £49,387 to £56,515 a year
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Closing date: 04 November 2026

Essential qualifications

• Current NMC Registration (Level 1 Midwifery).
• Degree in Midwifery studies or healthcare related subject.
• Mentorship qualification/equivalent and or Practice Assessor training

Desirable qualifications

• Management and leadership training.
• ILM qualification.
• PMA qualification.
• Bereavement course/qualification

Essential experience

• Experience of managing change
• Experience of change management.
• Thorough understanding of contemporary midwifery issues.
• Experience of leading a team.
• Evidence of innovation in practice.

Desirable experience

• Experience of working at Band 7 or previous team management

Essential skills and knowledge

• Evidence of leadership qualities.
• Awareness of national health and social care policy.
• Knowledge of recent changes in Bereavement practice.
• Thorough understanding of expanded roles/professional practice issues.
• Ability to provide and receive complex, sensitive or contentious information, where persuasive, motivational, negotiating, training, empathic or reassurance skills are required.
• Able to work without supervision.
• Competent in the use of Microsoft office packages.
• Proven interpersonal skills.
• Practice assessor/ supervision skills.
• Appraisal skills.
• Evidence of competency in relation to midwifery practices appropriate to the post.

Desirable skills and knowledge

• Understanding of budget and financial control systems.
• Research skills

Essential physical skills

• Ability to assist patients to move as per Trust Moving and Handling Policy
• Car driver with access to a car.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
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. 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.

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

Employer details
Employer name: South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Sunderland Royal Hospital, Sunderland, SR4 7TP, United Kingdom

Contact for questions about the job
Natalie Graham, natalie.graham17@nhs.net

Apply through our website.