The closing date is 31st Aug 2026
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Job summary
Are you passionate about supporting new families and making a lasting difference to the health and wellbeing of babies and mothers?
We are seeking an enthusiastic and motivated Infant Feeding Maternity Support Worker to join our dedicated Infant Feeding Team at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. This rewarding role offers the opportunity to promote, protect and support breastfeeding and responsive infant feeding across maternity services, helping families achieve the best possible start in life.
Working within a specialist Infant Feeding Team, you will play a key role in implementing infant feeding policy and practice in line with UNICEF UK Baby Friendly standards, supporting the Trust's commitment to improving breastfeeding outcomes, reducing health inequalities and delivering safe, personalised maternity and neonatal care.
You will provide practical and emotional support to women and families throughout the antenatal and postnatal period, delivering evidence-based infant feeding information, undertaking feeding assessments and helping families build confidence in caring for their babies. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Maternity Support Worker with a keen interest in infant feeding to develop specialist skills and contribute to innovative service development across Somerset
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Main duties, tasks & skills required
Promote, protect and support breastfeeding and responsive infant feeding practices in line with UNICEF UK Baby Friendly standards.
Provide practical and emotional support to women and families during the antenatal and postnatal period.
Undertake infant feeding assessments, breastfeeding observations and support with positioning, attachment and effective milk transfer.
Support mothers and babies on postnatal wards to establish and maintain successful feeding relationships.
Deliver information and guidance on infant feeding, normal newborn behaviour, feeding cues, milk production and safer sleep practices.
Provide post-discharge telephone follow-up support as part of the Readmission Prevention Programme, identifying concerns early and escalating where appropriate.
Signpost and refer families to specialist infant feeding support when additional help is required.
Support the delivery of antenatal infant feeding education and co-facilitate breastfeeding workshops.
Maintain accurate records and contribute to the collection and reporting of infant feeding data.
Participate in Baby Friendly audits, service evaluations and quality improvement initiatives.
Act as a Baby Friendly Champion, promoting best practice and supporting colleagues to deliver high-quality, compassionate care.
Work collaboratively with midwives, maternity support workers, neonatal teams, health visitors and community services to ensure continuity of care for families.
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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.
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Job description
As an Infant Feeding Maternity Support Worker, you will work as part of the Infant Feeding Team to support the implementation and ongoing development of infant feeding policy and practice across Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. You will contribute to achieving national and local breastfeeding targets, helping to reduce health inequalities and improve outcomes for babies and families.
Working closely with women, families and multidisciplinary colleagues, you will provide specialist infant feeding support throughout the maternity pathway. This will include undertaking feeding observations, supporting effective breastfeeding techniques, promoting responsive infant feeding, and providing evidence-based information to help families make informed feeding decisions.
You will support mothers and babies on antenatal and postnatal wards, offering guidance on breastfeeding management, infant feeding cues, normal newborn behaviour, milk production and safer sleep practices. Through practical support, encouragement and timely intervention, you will help families overcome early feeding challenges and build confidence in caring for their babies.
A key aspect of your role will be participation in the Trust's Readmission Prevention Programme. You will undertake post-discharge telephone follow-up calls with families, identify potential feeding concerns at an early stage, and ensure appropriate support, advice or referrals are arranged when required.
You will also contribute to antenatal infant feeding education by supporting and co-facilitating workshops and information sessions. Working alongside the wider Infant Feeding Team, you will help ensure families receive consistent, evidence-based advice throughout their maternity journey.
As a Baby Friendly Champion, you will actively promote UNICEF UK Baby Friendly standards across maternity services, supporting colleagues to embed best practice and helping to create a culture where breastfeeding and responsive infant feeding are valued, protected and supported.
In addition, you will maintain accurate clinical records, collect and report infant feeding data, contribute to audits and quality improvement projects, and support the ongoing development of infant feeding services across the Trust.
This role offers an excellent opportunity for an experienced Maternity Support Worker with a passion for infant feeding to further develop specialist knowledge and skills, contribute to service innovation, and play a vital role in improving the health and wellbeing of mothers, babies and families across Somerset.
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Person specification
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Qualifications
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Essential
Maternity Support Worker (NVQ trained)
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Desirable
Other breastfeeding qualifications (NCT/LLL/ABM etc.)
Unicef training course
Unicef audit course
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Experience
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Essential
Proven experience in working with new families around infant feeding
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Additional Criteria
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Essential
Proven IT skills in various packages
Ability to communicate in a professional and constructive manner to all MDT members
Evidence of a good standard of Literacy English language skills
Good organisational skills
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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.
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For help with your application, contact:
Cher Smith
[email protected]
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Pay scheme
Agenda for Change
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Band
Band 3
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Salary
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£25760.00 to £27476.00 Yearly
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Contract
Fixed Term
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Duration
12 Month(s)
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Working pattern
Part-Time
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Reference number
184-OL-GR-5595
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Job locations
Yeovil District Hospital
Higher Kingston
Yeovil
Somerset
BA21 4AT
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