Job overview
** THIS POSITION IS ONLY OPEN TO CURRENT UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST EMPLOYEES **
The St Richards Discharge Team are looking for a proactive person to join our dynamic team as a Discharge Coordinator.
We want you to join us in providing safe and coordinated care and a high quality discharge service to all our patients.
If you are motivated and have a keen interest in discharge planning and want to take on this challenging and rewarding role, we would like to hear from you.
Training and a full induction will be given to you.
Main duties of the job
1. Act as key-worker to co-ordinate individual complex discharges
2. Attendance on board rounds and MDTs to assist with identifying patients who meet the revised clinical criteria of being ‘medically optimised’ and are suitable for discharge.
3. Promotion of the five elements of the safer bundle to be followed
4. To assist ward staff with identifying the most appropriate patient pathway for each individual patient and allocate to a discharge pathway.
5. To support ward staff to manage patients discharges who are on pathway 0.
6. Communication by assisting wards to make calls regarding collecting the collateral and social history of a patient who has been admitted -to assist with a discharge plan to be put in place. Informing families and services of proposed EDD of patient.
7. To support the discharge hub with information gathering and referrals and pathway discussion upon request.
Working for our organisation
At UHSussex, diversity is our strength, and we want you to feel included to help us always put the Patient First, as shown in our Outstanding for Caring CQC rating. Your uniqueness and experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of Staff Networks to help break down barriers, and can offer a buddy to help new members settle in. We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2) and a Veteran Aware Trust.
We treat our patients and staff with the same compassion and empathy we expect for ourselves. We’re here for them when they need us, and we go above and beyond to meet their needs. This can be seen in our Wellbeing Programme for staff which is extensive and designed to support you when you need it - because we know that to look after others we must first look after ourselves.
As a university trust and a leader in healthcare research, we value learning, teaching and training so that we can be the best that we can be. From the moment you start with us and throughout your career we will help you to grow and develop. We hope that in choosing UHSussex you are choosing a long and happy career where you will be able to see the difference you make and feel valued for all that you do.
We look forward to receiving your application and the start of your journey with UHSussex
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
8. Manage a personal caseload of wards and coordinate complex discharges from the Acute
9. Act as Trust experts in discharge planning, assisting and supporting the MDT to drive and co-ordinate discharges, ensuring effective, timely intervention from all disciplines
10. Assist wards and teams with understanding and using the ‘Home First’ Model
11. Support the integrated ‘Discharge Hub’ in matching patients to pathways
12. Provide education in discharge planning to members of the MDT or other professional groups requiring this teaching
13. Support transfers to NHS funded community venues/services
14. Participate in the development of Trusted Assessment for care transfers
15. Monitor performance associated with discharge, identifying gaps in service provision that may have a detrimental effect on length of stay, delayed transfers of care or patient experience
16. Work with multi-agency representatives to reduce length of stay, numbers of super-stranded patients and delayed transfers of care, to achieve performance targets related to discharge
17. Facilitate Trust’s compliance with current legislation relating to discharge planning
18. Ensure compliance with NSF for NHS Continuing Healthcare and act as the Trust’s liaison with the CHC Team
Person specification
Professional Registration
Essential criteria
19. NMC registered Nurse or Registered Allied Healthcare Professional
Desirable criteria
20. Teaching & Assessing or equivalent
21. Undertaken Mentorship Course or Equivalent
Experience
Essential criteria
22. To have worked on a hospital ward consistently over a substantive period (at Band 5 or above), with responsibility for co-ordinating/arranging discharges of patients OR equivalent management responsibility in a health or social care setting
Desirable criteria
23. Basic working knowledge of: a) Continuing Health Care b) Home First Model c) Safer Bundle
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
Essential criteria
24. Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles (as appropriate to role).
25. Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equalities issues
Important information for applicants:
A Note on AI Use in Applications
We value the individuality and authenticity that each candidate brings to the application process. While AI tools are increasingly accessible, we strongly discourage their use in completing your application. Your responses should reflect your own voice, experiences, and motivations—elements that are essential to a fair and accurate evaluation.
Applications that rely heavily on AI-generated content may misrepresent your abilities and could result in your application being rejected. We encourage you to take the time to present your genuine self, as this helps us better understand your potential and ensures a transparent selection process.
Closing Adverts Early: In the event of exceptional interest, we may close adverts earlier than specified.
Some of our adverts are capped for a limited number of applications; therefore, the advert will close once the cap has been reached. We therefore encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible if you are interested in the position to prevent you from missing out on applying for the opportunity.
Flexible Working: If you would like to explore potential options regarding flexible working please speak with the appropriate recruiting/line manager.
DBS Checks: As part of our commitment to a safe working environment, we undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check on all new employees where the role is eligible for a criminal record check. We make offers in line with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1975.
Skilled Worker Visa: Applications for Skilled Worker sponsorship are welcome for the roles that meet the Visa and Immigrations eligibility criteria. For further information please visit the gov.uk website searching for Skilled Worker. It is your responsibility as the applicant to ensure that you meet this criteria.
UHSussex reserves the right to close the role early if we receive a high volume of applications