Hospital Discharge Enabler

The Hospital Discharge Enabler Role is an exciting new opportunity to work within a team of social workers, case co-ordinators and allied health professionals in an acute hospital setting, to support the co-ordination and discharge of Cornish residents. You will be required to be working on site in the acute hospital, covering 7 days a week which will be co-ordinated via a rota.

Discharge to assess (D2A) is recognised nationally as best practice for ensuring timely discharge and is defined as: “discharge to assess will involve people who have ongoing complex care need but have been clinically optimised such that they no longer require an acute hospital bed for this care and their assessment can take place outside the hospital setting, in their local community, ideally in their own home”.

The Hospital Discharge Enabler will work in this adaptable and evolving role, focusing on safe, effective and timely discharges from the acute hospital, with a whole systems approach. The postholder will co-ordinate care and strive to reduce the risk of acute re-admissions by identifying risks, implementing plans for discharge and collaborating with the wider community to facilitate on-going care management for the person within a care setting.

The Hospital Discharge Enabler will be focused on developing strong and trusting relationships within the acute hospital setting and also with care home providers - understanding the profile of each care home, and maintaining liaison between hospital, local authority and care homes on an equal footing.

Knowledge, Skills and experience:
You will hold a professional registration either via ; Nursing Midwifery Council, Health PCP or Social Work England with knowledge and experience of relevant legislation including the Care Act 2014, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Discharge to Assess (D2A) guidance.

Applicant will require substantial experience in health and social care with adults in need of support services, including working with older adults with long term conditions and complex needs and their families.

The positions will be based in University Hospitals Plymouth x 2 and a further 2 positions based at the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust Truro. It is expected that these posts will be based in the acute hospital settings.

We are happy to talk about flexible working options.

More information about working for Cornwall Council is available here.

Fairness and inclusion are at the heart of our vision for Cornwall. In order to best serve our communities, we are striving to achieve a diverse workforce that is inclusive of all backgrounds, cultures and identities; e.g. race, disability, sex, gender, age, religion and sexual orientation. We are an equal opportunities and Disability Confident employer, and we will assess applicants on their merits.

Cornwall Council is committed to safeguarding and following safer recruitment principles to help make sure our staff and volunteers are suitable to work with children, young people and adults at risk. It’s a vital part of creating a safe and positive environment and making a commitment to keeping all service users safe from harm.

Whilst the location/work-base for this role has been specified our evolving ways of working means that the role may require you to also work remotely (e.g. from home/other locations). We will discuss this with you during the recruitment process.