Smokefree Pregnancy Practitioner in Chester

Main area Maternity - Women and Children's Grade Band 4 Contract Permanent Hours Part time - 22.5 hours per week (Tue, Thur and Friday 830 to 1630) Job ref 210-2026-705

Site Countess of Chester Hospital Town Chester Salary £28,392 - £31,157 pa pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 25/10/2026 23:59

Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, staff pride themselves on not only leading through clinical excellence, but also by creating an environment where all staff are valued and appreciated. To achieve this, the Trust has embarked on an exciting new strategy focused on continuous improvement.

Our vision is to improve the lives of our community and provide excellence in healthcare, through partnership and innovation

Our High Performance Culture will support everyone to be the best version of themselves by being true to our Trust vision, values and behaviours.
We welcome applications from colleagues from our local and neighbouring communities of all backgrounds and identities, who are currently under-represented within our region such as Black, Asian, Minority ethnic and those with disabilities.

As a region we are reviewing the way we work, and exploring how new working practices that support flexible working can create a positive work-life balance. As part of our recruitment process we will explore how our inclusive employment policies, flexible working, staff engagement forums, Trust facilities and services can be of mutual benefit.

Job overview

Working Part time: 22.5 hours per week

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a motivated and compassionate Maternity Smoking Cessation Support Worker to join our Maternity Treating Tobacco Dependence Service.

Smoking in pregnancy remains one of the leading preventable causes of poor maternal and neonatal outcomes. We are looking for an individual who is passionate about improving health outcomes, reducing inequalities and supporting women to make positive lifestyle changes during pregnancy.

Working closely with the Lead Midwife for Treating Tobacco Dependence and the wider multidisciplinary maternity team, you will provide evidence-based behavioural support to pregnant women who smoke, helping them to achieve a smoke-free pregnancy through personalised care planning, carbon monoxide monitoring and access to nicotine replacement therapy.

The successful candidate will have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, be able to work independently and as part of a wider team and be committed to supporting women and families to improve their health and wellbeing.

This is a rewarding opportunity to contribute directly to improving outcomes for women, babies and families whilst supporting the Trust to deliver national maternity safety and public health priorities

Main duties of the job

• Provide evidence-based smoking cessation support to pregnant women throughout pregnancy.
• Assess women referred to the Maternity Treating Tobacco Dependence Service and develop personalised quit plans.
• Deliver behavioural support interventions using a woman-centred approach.
• Undertake and interpret Carbon Monoxide (CO) monitoring in line with national guidance.Support the provision and monitoring of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) in accordance with Trust protocols.
• Educate women and families on the risks of smoking in pregnancy and the benefits of becoming smoke free.Promote smoke-free homes and cars and reduce exposure to second-hand smoke.
• Conduct pre-booking telephone assessments and respond to referrals within agreed timescales.
• Monitor progress, review treatment plans and maintain accurate clinical records.
• Contribute to the achievement of local and national maternity smoking cessation targets.
• Support service audits, data collection, evaluation and quality improvement activities.
• Promote public health campaigns and maternity health promotion initiatives.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of smoking cessation evidence, policies and best practice.
• Act as a resource for maternity staff on tobacco dependence treatment and smoking cessation support.

Working for our organisation

The Trust’s services are provided from three locations:

• The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 473 general and acute beds.
• Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 60 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility.
• Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population.

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust employs 5,964 staff (headcount) to provide care and treatment to a population of over 400,000 people living in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire.

The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System. Due to its location on the border with North Wales, the Trust also works closely with the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

The Trust treats patients from England and some parts of Wales. During 2024/2025, there were approximately 643,000 patient attendances (inpatient, A&E, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

See Job Description for further details.

Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values. An applicant guide to help and support you through your recruitment journey can be accessed at the bottom of this page.

If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the ‘essential’ criteria described in the person specification for an available position, please answer ‘YES’ to the question: ‘Do you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?’

Please inform the team if you have any special support needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection processes.

The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.

If a DBS is required for your role, you are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee applies which is payable to the DBS Service.Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costswill be deducted from their salary over the first three months of employment.

New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.

Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.

The Trust will not sponsor where the starting salary does not meet immigration rules

Good luck with your application.

Person specification

Qualifications

• GCSE level English and Mathematics or equivalent
• NVQ Level 3 or equivalent in health-related studies OR has relevant experience
• NCSCT trained Stop Smoking Practitioner

Experience

• Experience of providing healthcare advice or promoting healthy lifestyle advice to patients or members of the public
• Experience of working in health, social care and other support roles in direct contact with people, families or carers (in a paid or voluntary capacity)
• Experience of providing help, support and/or counselling on either a one-to-one basis or as part of a group setting
• Experience of working within multi-professional team environments
• Experience of delivering tobacco dependence treatment
• Experience of working in maternity services
• Experience of developing and delivering successful health promotion interventions
• Experience of data collection and using tools to measure impact of services
• Experience of working with vulnerable people

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
If the role is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 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.

Enhanced DBS check applications that are submitted with omitted or incorrect information will be withdrawn. In the event errors are identified on your original application, a new application will need to be submitted and you will be required to pay the DBS application fee again.

The cost of the DBS application will be deducted from your salary over the first three months of employment.

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. Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of a obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - Check if you need a UK visa - GOV.UK

The Trust will not sponsor where the starting salary does not meet these immigration rules

For further details on skilled worker sponsorship, please consult the UK Home Office guidance: Skilled Worker visa: Overview - GOV.UK. Additionally, the New guidance for overseas applicants | NHS Employers provides helpful information on the recruitment process for candidates applying for roles in the UK.

Overseas candidates are responsible for their travel expenses.

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have 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 dependent's (over 18 years old) will also be subject to this requirement.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

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