Discharge Liaison Officer
The closing date is 30 April 2026
We are looking to recruit a self‑motivated Discharge Liaison Officer. You will be part of the Patient Flow team, working across the acute medical, surgical or elderly wards to optimise discharges and support patients and staff to negotiate discharge plans.
The Discharge Liaison Officer works closely with ward staff, social care, continuing health care and the voluntary sector. Therefore you must be able to demonstrate collaborative working, as well as being able to build effective relationships with colleagues from other healthcare professions.
This role entails working closely with a wide multidisciplinary team, to facilitate the timely discharges of patients from the hospital environment.
The post holder will need to have a “can do attitude”, be able to be flexible in their approach to working and be proactive.
Main duties of the job
The primary focus of the Discharge Liaison Officer role is to enable and support the safe and timely discharge of patients. The post holder will need to consider the options around a patient’s discharge, and take appropriate action to resolve delays in discharge. This will ensure capacity is created in the system, so that wards have empty beds at all times to match their demand. The key element of the role is to communicate with the Bed Managers and the nurse in charge, to ensure everyone is working to the same plan of no delays for patients.
To work within Bronze Command (BC), in partnership with staff at Scarborough Hospital, Vale of York CCG, Scarborough and Ryedale CCG, East Riding CCG, City of York County Council, North Yorkshire County Council and East Riding County Council, patients and their carers, to proactively support and facilitate timely and safe discharges from hospital to home or onward care settings.
Although the role is ward based, you will be a cell of BC and allocated to a ward, on a rotational basis. This ward will change dependant on service need, as determined by the Patient Flow Manager (PFM).
About us
Benefits announced:
* Access to the NHS Pension Scheme, providing generous benefits upon retirement, as well as a lump sum and pension for dependants
* 27 days holiday rising to 33 days (depending on NHS Trust service)
* A variety of different types of paid and unpaid leave covering emergency and planned leave
* Confidential advice and support on personal, work, family and relationship issues, 24/7, from our Employee Assistance Programme
* NHS Car Lease scheme and Cycle to Work scheme
* An extensive range of learning and development opportunities
* Discounts on restaurants, getaways, shopping, motoring, cinema and finance through a range of providers
Values, Drivers and Motivators
Across our organisation, people are guided by values that were co‑developed with staff: we are kind; we are open; and we pursue excellence.
Our values play into our ambition to develop a more diverse workforce, truly representative of our communities. We welcome applications from everyone, while working with our Staff Networks - including our Race Equality, LGBTQ+, Disability and Carers Networks - to increase the number of applications we receive from different backgrounds. If there is anything we can do to make our application process more accessible to you, please contact: recruitment@york.nhs.uk.
As part of seeking to become more inclusive, we will consider requests for flexible working from the start of your employment. It may not be suitable for every role, but we will try and be supportive where we can. We would encourage you to speak to the recruiting manager named within this advert to discuss any requirements you may have.
Armed Forces Friendly Employer
We are holders of the Gold Award from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme, which is helping actively promote SaBRE – Supporting Britain's Reservists and Employers. This means that we have made a statement of intent to support all Defence personnel, including with applications for employment.
Person Specification
Education, Qualifications and Training
* Educated to GCSE Level English and Maths Grade C or equivalent
* ECDL qualification or equivalent experience
* NVQ Level 3 or equivalent experience
Knowledge and Experience
* Experience of dealing with conflict and resolving effectively
* Demonstrable experience of adapting own approach to engage with service users, a range of external and internal stakeholders and colleagues at different levels of seniority and discipline
* Demonstrable experience of working autonomously.
* Evidence of effective problem‑solving skills with the ability to be a flexible thinker under pressure
* Knowledge and understanding of the differing needs of service users with a range of clinical conditions and potential disabilities
* Knowledge and understanding of the ward routine and processes with regard to discharging a patient
* Knowledge and establishing and maintaining robust administrative processes and systems
* Experience of working in a health or social care setting
* Awareness of community services and partner agencies
* Knowledge and awareness of community partners and agencies
Aptitude and Personal Qualities
* Ability to challenge others and use own initiative.
* Ability to prioritise and work to deadlines.
* A commitment and understanding of the need to deliver patient‑centred care.
Values, Drivers and Motivators
* Ability to demonstrate our organisational values and behaviours.
Skills
* Must be resilient and quick to adapt
* Experience to work across a range of IT systems
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.
Employer name
York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
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