Adults Social Worker - East Surrey Hospital

SURREY COUNTY COUNCIL; Redhill; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 49,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in Redhill seeks a dedicated Social Worker to join their Social Care Team at East Surrey Hospital. This role offers hybrid working, with responsibilities including conducting assessments and supporting adult patients. Candidates should have a relevant social work qualification and knowledge of relevant legislation. The position offers a competitive salary and numerous benefits, including training opportunities and flexible working arrangements.

Benefits

26 days' holiday (rising to 31)

Employee Assistance Programme

Local government salary-related pension

Lifestyle discounts

Training and development opportunities

Qualifications

• Current registration with Social Work England.
• Experience with safeguarding and assessments in a hospital or community setting.
• Ability to support diverse individuals and partner agencies.

Responsibilities

• Conduct Care Act assessments and Mental Capacity Act assessments.
• Assist in discharges from the hospital.
• Collaborate with hospital health colleagues in a multidisciplinary team.

Skills

Professional qualification in Social Work

Knowledge of Care Act and Mental Capacity Act

Experience in safeguarding enquiries

Support non-qualified staff

Commitment to professional development

Education

Professional qualification in Social Work

Job description

This full-time, permanent role has a starting salary of £42,239 per annum based on a 36-hour working week.

We are excited to be recruiting a new Social Worker to join our fantastic Social Care Team working from within East Surrey Hospital. This role is open to hybrid working which includes remote working as standard for 2 days per week, or more as the role allows.

Rewards and Benefits:

• 26 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
• Flexible / agile working to help with balancing work and home
• Training and Development including a structured induction programme

About the Role

We are a busy and diverse team managing hospital discharges, as well as carrying out Care Act and Mental Capacity Act assessments and support planning. The complexity of our work varies greatly, supporting all adult patients of the hospital who are residents of Surrey, and who appear to have a need for care and support. We always strive to get people back home; this is the focus of what we do.

When joining us, you will be well supported with regular supervision, management support as well as peer-to-peer learning and support. You will form part of a fantastic team that works closely with our acute hospital health colleagues, enabling a positive and collaborative approach. Our team is committed to making a difference to residents' lives, and working in a positive, inclusive manner. To help to promote this we will provide you with training, excellent supervision, and development opportunities to progress your career and get the most out of your role.

The service based at East Surrey Hospital runs core hours of 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, and 8am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday. The successful candidate will not be expected to work weekends unless opting to, in addition to their weekday role.

Your work in this role will include:

• Care Act assessments
• Mental Capacity Act assessments and leading on Best Interest Decisions
• Screening residents for Continuing Healthcare
• Carers assessments
• Safeguarding work and partnership working with our Hospital NHS colleagues, including Discharge to Assess
• Attending Multi-Disciplinary Team meetings on the wards
• Working with and supporting adults and their carers, advocates and families through the discharge process

You will also work closely with Adult Social Care Locality and specialist teams as well as community health, charity and voluntary organisations.

Taking on this role is a fantastic opportunity to develop your skills through promoting strengths-based and person-centred practice that is legally compliant, supporting our residents to be discharged from a large acute hospital setting in a safe and timely manner.

Shortlisting Criteria

To be considered for shortlisting for this position, your application will clearly evidence the following:

• Professional qualification in Social Work and current registration with Social Work England and completion of an Assessed and Supported Year in Employment if more recently qualified.
• Knowledge and experience of current legislation, including the Care Act and the Mental Capacity Act and its application to practice in a social care setting. Knowledge of the relevant guidance and person-centred strengths-based practice.
• Knowledge of and experience in carrying out safeguarding enquiries, carrying out assessments within the hospital and/ or community and working with a diverse group of individuals and partner agencies.
• Experience of supporting non-qualified or less experienced members of staff with their development
• Commitment to your own professional development

Surrey has both urban and rural areas and locality based social care workers will be expected to have a valid driving licence to drive in the UK and access to a vehicle and be willing to travel across a wide geographical area. Reasonable adjustments where needed will be made for successful applicants who have a disability or long term health condition to enable them to fulfil the requirements of the job.

The job advert closes on 16th September 2025 with interviews to follow.

An enhanced DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children's and Adults' Barred List checks will be required for this role.

We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.

Local Government Reorganisation

Surrey County Council is preparing for Local Government Reorganisation which will allow us to implement the Government led policy of devolution, which is all about giving more powers to local areas.

Currently, Surrey has a two-tier council system, with 11 district and borough councils and a county council, all responsible for different services. All these councils will be reorganised into a smaller number of new unitary councils which will come into effect in April 2027. At this point, this role will be transferred, with all existing terms and conditions intact into one of the new unitary councils.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applicants where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role.

We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.