Head of communications jobs

Self Employed - Neonatal Lead

For Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, and Newham Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP)

Salary: £150 per day, with reimbursement of childcare and travel expenses (subject to policy)

Length of Contract: Fixed-Term Contract Until March 2026 (subject to extension)

Reports to: MNVP Project Manager – Healthwatch Newham

Hours per week: 3 days per week across three boroughs, Monday to Friday (flexible working hours)

Based at: Home based, with meetings within Barts Health NHS Trust and frequent travel in community

Review: There will be an initial review after two months to ensure mutual alignment with the contract.

Overview

Barts Health NHS Trust provides neonatal and maternity care for women and birthing people and their babies each year across Tower Hamlets, Newham, and Waltham Forest, providing all aspects of obstetrics and midwifery care in our labour ward, midwife-led birth centre and home birthing service.

TWN Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP) listens to the experiences of women, birthing people and families, and brings together service users, staff and other stakeholders to plan, review and improve maternity and neonatal care. MNVPs ensure that service users’ voices are at the heart of decision-making in maternity and neonatal services by being embedded within the leadership of provider trusts and feeding into the Local Maternity and Neonatal System and Integrated Care Board. This influences improvements in the safety, quality, and experience of maternity and neonatal care. We work to ensure that every woman and birthing person on the maternity and neonatal pathway has a chance to have their voice heard. We do not speak for them.

We are recruiting a Neonatal Lead who brings the expertise of women/birthing people with lived experience of neonatal services at Barts Health NHS Trust into the heart of the development of every aspect of neonatal and maternity services at the trust.

The role of Neonatal Lead is key to providing inclusive and collaborative leadership and ways of working, ensuring that all women and birthing people and their families’ views are heard and acted on. This is an exciting opportunity to review, shape and improve services and make a real difference to women, birthing people and their families.

This is a paid, self-employed job requiring 3 days a week (worked flexibly where possible). Working with the MNVP is an opportunity to become part of a vibrant team, improving care for our service users and enabling voices and engagement with our community.

Healthwatch Newham (part of CB Plus), along with Healthwatch Tower Hamlets and Healthwatch Waltham Forest, has been commissioned by NHS North East London ICB since 2023 to manage the MNVP in Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, and Newham (TWN), including staff employment.

About the role:

We are looking for a TWN Maternity & Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP) Neonatal Lead who:

● Is passionate about helping to develop and improve the experience of neonatal (and maternity) services for babies and their families who require neonatal care.

● Is keen to engage families and seldom listened-to groups to inform neonatal and maternity service development.

Please note this role is for someone with lived experience and is not suitable for clinical staff (although they are welcome to join the MNVP in their professional role).

This is a self-employed position on a fixed-term contract until March 2026. The successful candidate will not be entitled to employee benefits such as pension, sick pay, or holiday pay.

As a self-employed contractor, you are responsible for managing your own tax and National Insurance contributions. You will be required to invoice the organisation for your work, and payment will be made within 21 days of receipt of a monthly invoice.

This is a home-based role with flexible working hours. However, you will be expected to attend meetings within Barts Health NHS Trust and travel within the community as required.