Highly specialist social worker

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Highly Specialist Social Worker

The closing date is 30 June 2026

Would you like to work in an environment that provides high quality therapy and care in a dynamic and therapeutic environment? An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced qualified social worker to join our team supporting the timely transition of patients with complex neurological disability into the community following a period of rehabilitation.

The Regional Hyper‑acute Rehabilitation Unit (RHRU) is a 24 bed in‑patient specialist neuro‑rehabilitation service which offers intensive multi‑disciplinary neuro‑rehabilitation to adults with severe and complex cognitive, communicative, physical and psychosocial difficulties.

The postholder will be required to provide assessments of patients supporting their transition from hospital to returning to the community. You will have excellent organisational and negotiation skills and knowledge of health and social care pathways and assessment tools. You will have experience of mental capacity and a good understanding of safeguarding and deprivation of liberty policies. You will work closely with patient’s treating team and will be expected to liaise with a wide range of external agencies across the South East of England.

You will be able to balance the complex interaction of risk, safety, and patient choice. You will work as a key worker alongside other key workers to support patients through their rehabilitation pathway.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be an autonomous practitioner providing assessment and evaluation for patients with a wide range of complex physical, sensory, perceptual, cognitive, behavioural and communication problems within the rehabilitation setting, supporting patient’s as they transition from being in hospital to returning to the community.

Manage own caseload working in close collaboration of the multidisciplinary team and other external agencies to ensure complex care plans and rehabilitation/maintenance therapy is set up to meet ongoing needs in the community.

Work as a key worker to support patients and their families through the rehabilitation journey, liaising with the multi‑disciplinary team and external agencies.

Provide professional leadership in situations which have highly complex case arrangements including situations which involve Capacity, DoL's, risk, complexity and safeguarding of the patient or children within the patient’s family.

Provide specialist advice relating to the National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare/NHS Funded Nursing Care, leading, guiding and directing team members to complete referrals and assessments in line with the specified timelines.

Manage and supervise RHRU’s Discharge Coordinator and Information and Benefits Advisor.

To manage any complicated issues which may arise on a day‑to‑day basis. If required to support the MDT in an emergency situation.

About us

London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust (LNWH) cares for the people of Brent, Ealing, Harrow and beyond.

Our team of more than 8,200 clinical and support staff serve a diverse population of almost one million people.

• Northwick Park Hospital: home to one of the busiest emergency departments (A&E) in the country. The hospital provides a full range of services including the country’s top‑rated hyper‑acute stroke unit and one of only three hyper‑acute rehabilitation units in the UK
• St Mark’s Hospital: an internationally renowned specialist centre for bowel disease
• Ealing Hospital: a busy district general hospital providing a range of clinical services, as well as 24/7 emergency department and urgent care centre, and specialist care at Meadow House Hospice
• Central Middlesex Hospital: our planned care site, hosting a range of surgical and outpatient services and collocated with an urgent care centre.

We are a university teaching NHS trust, in recognition of the important role we play in training clinicians of the future and bringing the benefits of research to the public.

Job responsibilities

To view the main responsibility, please see the attached the Job Description and Person Specification

Person Specification

Education and training

• Degree level qualification in Social Care with recognised Social Worker Qualification
• State Registration with Social Work England
• Post‑graduate attendance of relevant courses.
• Membership of specialist group in relevant area of work
• Practice Educator Professional Standards (PEPS)

Knowledge and experience

• Experience of multi‑disciplinary team working
• Excellent knowledge of the Continuing Healthcare process
• Excellent knowledge of social services provision across a range of social services
• Extensive post qualifying experience of working as a social worker in the community or hospital setting.
• Experience in neurology and neurological rehabilitation

Skills

• Excellent time management skills; ability to organise, prioritise and delegate
• Excellent verbal and non‑verbal communication skills and excellent report writing skills

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.

London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust

£55,524 to £62,652 a yearPer Annum Including High Cost Area Supplement pro rata