Job overview
We are looking for an enthusiastic healthcare discharge support worker to support the trust winter pressures. This role is on a fixed term contract from December 2025 – March 2026 only. This role is key to supporting the safe and timely discharge of patients across all UCLH sites. Working as part of the Integrated Discharge Service, you will help maintain patient flow through the hospital by coordinating discharges, supporting the Patient Lounge, and working closely with senior nurses and the wider multidisciplinary team. You will proactively identify and escalate delays, implement a “pull strategy” to transfer patients to the lounge, and contribute to readmission prevention and integrated care strategies. By prioritising your own workload and assisting in patient care where needed, you will ensure a patient-centred approach that enhances the delivery of care and meets key performance targets.
Main duties of the job
You will work under the supervision of the registered nursing team and/or clinical leads, but will work independently in facilitating a smooth and timely discharge process for patients. This will include supporting the patient discharges from wards to create new capacity but ensuring that the continuity of care is maintained. The role also involves undertaking both routine and specially identified tasks for which the post holder has been trained and assessed as competent.
To be successful in the role, the applicants must have a keen interest in improving the patient experience of discharge planning and patient flow in the wards, and care about the continuity of the service between the acute and community setting.
• Coordinate and prioritise workload to support safe, timely patient discharge and smooth hospital patient flow across all UCLH sites.
• Assist senior nurses in the effective running of the Patient Lounge and the wider Integrated Discharge Service.
• Implement strategies such as the “pull strategy,” escorting patients to the lounge and escalating discharge delays to improve capacity and reduce readmissions.
• Work collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team, keeping patients informed and involved in discharge planning.
• Contribute to patient care, ward organisation and a safe, supportive environment alongside the Discharge Planning and Operations Centre teams.
Working for our organisation
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) is one of the most complex NHS trusts in the UK, serving a large and diverse population. We provide academically led acute and specialist services, to people from the local area, from throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. Our vision is to deliver top-quality patient care, excellent education, and world-class research.
We provide first-class acute and specialist services across eight sites:
1. University College Hospital (incorporating the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing)
2. National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery
3. Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals
4. University College Hospital Grafton Way Building
5. Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine
6. University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre
7. The Hospital for Tropical Diseases
8. University College Hospital at Westmoreland Street
We are dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of many complex illnesses. UCLH specialises in women’s health and the treatment of cancer, infection, neurological, gastrointestinal and oral disease. It has world class support services including critical care, imaging, nuclear medicine and pathology.
We are committed to sustainability and have pledged to become a carbon net zero health service, embedding sustainable practice throughout UCLH. We have set an ambitious target of net zero for our direct emissions by 2031 and indirect emissions by 2040.