Discharge Coordinator

Ensure patients' receive relevant, comprehensive and accurate multidisciplinary assessment of their continuing care needs to facilitate safe and timely discharge from hospital. The post holder will provide support and guidance for all discharge matters within allocated ward areas, communicating with appropriate senior internal staff and external agencies including social services and community health provider teams. In addition the post holder will provide training on complex discharge planning to acute trust staff when required. Support the collection, analysis and reporting of all relevant discharge process data within their allocated ward areas to both internal and external bodies on a regular and an ad hoc basis. Anticipate and initiate corrective action and appropriate escalation on potential and actual hospital discharge difficulties ensuring they are dealt with quickly and efficiently to eradicate or minimise delays to a patient's care pathway. Participate in the planning of improvements to the discharge planning process and to support the implementation of new practices that may result. Provide support and advice to acute trust staff, patients and carers (and those in other acute trusts) to assist them in directly accessing packages of care and rehabilitation services in our area.

Attend multidisciplinary discharge planning meetings on allocated wards.Support the Ward Managers to ensure multidisciplinary assessment referrals are requested promptly when indicated.Oversee (at ward level) the accuracy and adequacy of completed health needs assessments, Liaise with patients, relatives/carers and community health provider staff to facilitate the completion of continuing healthcare assessment processes and to arrange and attend relevant case meetings. Attend and participate in the daily bed capacity and access meetings, ensuring provision of predicted discharge activity for that day and data relating to the progress of patients being managed through the discharge planning process. Report, that day, on any identified process or provider delays and breaches in target response times detailing the corrective actions being implemented and requesting senior advice or support as necessary. Arrange and attend discharge planning meetings on allocated wards; this will include escalation wards when required. Attend the daily multi-disciplinary morning meetings in these wards to ensure appropriate length of stay / estimated discharge dates are applied, monitored and adhered to. Report to the relevant Matron any ward-level nursing responsibility related process delays in assessments Assist the Matrons to address discharge training and development needs of ward staffs that may have been identified by these delays.
Welcome to the Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust. We offer an extensive range of services, including cancer, pathology, surgery, and gynecology to over 490,000 people in south west London and north east Surrey. We operate two busy general hospitals, Epsom Hospital and St Helier Hospital, and run services from other locations, including Sutton Hospital. We are also part of two innovative integrated care partnerships - Sutton Health and Care and Surrey Downs Health and Care.

St Helier Hospital is home to the South West Thames Renal and Transplantation Unit and Queen Mary's Hospital for Children, while Epsom Hospital is home to the South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre (SWLEOC). Both Epsom and St Helier hospitals have Accident and Emergency departments (A&E) and Maternity services (Obstetrics).

With nearly 900,000 people coming to our hospitals for care and treatment every year, our almost 5,000 staff and 500 volunteers work around the clock to keep our busy hospitals running smoothly.

As teaching hospitals, we play a key role in the education and training of tomorrow's doctors, nurses and other health professionals. Both sites work in partnership with St George’s Hospital and St George’s Medical School in south London to deliver high quality education and research.

Please see the attached supporting document which contains more information about the Discharge Coordinator role at Epsom and St Helier.