Assistant Discharge Co-ordinator

NHS; Knowsley; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional healthcare provider in Knowsley is seeking an Assistant Discharge Co-ordinator to facilitate safe patient discharges. The successful candidate will work closely with patients, families, and medical teams to manage discharge plans effectively, ensuring all arrangements are in place prior to discharge. Candidates should possess NVQ level 4 or above in Health and Social Care, excellent communication skills, and experience in an acute care setting. The role offers a salary ranging from £27,485 to £30,162 per annum, pro rata.

Qualifications

• NVQ level 4 or above in Health and Social Care or similar qualification or relevant experience.
• Clear knowledge of the discharge process.
• Experience in an acute/community setting.

Responsibilities

• Assist with patient discharge according to hospital procedures.
• Communicate effectively with patients, carers, and the MDT.
• Manage discharge planning and ensure follow-up appointments are arranged.

Skills

Ability to communicate both verbal and written

Excellent numeracy and literacy skills

Excellent interpersonal skills

Ability to work both autonomously and as part of a team

Ability to undertake nursing assessments and document clearly

Good knowledge of IT systems such as patient databases and Microsoft Office Suite

Excellent negotiation and influencing skills

Education

NVQ level 4 or above in Health and Social Care or similar qualification

NVQ assessors certificate

Job description

Go back Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Assistant Discharge Co-ordinator

The closing date is 05 January 2026

The Assistant Discharge Co-ordinator plays an integral role in the ward MDT.

They are a part of the daily board round feeding in the social needs of each patient.

They meet with all patients and their families to ascertain their requirements for discharge and then play a pivotal role in ensuring this is completed and is ready for when they are medically fit for discharge.

They escalate any concerns through the Hospital Discharge Team.

Main duties of the job

They will be expected to communicate effectively and professionally with patients, carers, members of the MDT and external agencies.

They will receive and provide complex and sensitive information, and due to the patient groups, they are dealing with, multi stranded discussions due to patient co‑morbidities.

They will liaise with ward staff and ensure the discharge plans are up to date and plans are communicated clearly.

Planning and liaising with HDT staff, relatives, carers and external agencies to plan, organise, implement and evaluate safe discharge planning.

The post holder will provide basic clinical advice and information to patients from the MDT output in order to facilitate a safe discharge and how to access services once discharged. They will ensure that patients who have been discharged by medical staff have appointments and follow up arranged and that patients and their carers are informed of these arrangements.

About us

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 10,500 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.

Our services:

Acute Care

Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.

Primary Care

Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.

Community Services

Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.

Specialist Regional Services

We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.

Achievements:

• Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
• Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
• National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme.

You will be expected to undertake the Trusts' commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

Job responsibilities

Job description attached in documents.

Will participate in an annual performance review to identify the post-holders personal development needs.

Will present an appearance which gives a poitive image of the Trust and a manner that is appropriate and inspires confidence.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• NVQ level 4 or above in Health and Social care or Similar qualification or relevant experience
• NVQ assessors certificate

Knowledge and Experience

• Clear knowledge of the discharge process
• Awareness of key national and local policies and their impact on practice
• Understanding and support of the benefits of clinical supervision and reflective practiceExperience in an acute/community setting
• Experience in an urgent care setting
• Knowledge of nursing assessments and how to perform

Skills

• Ability to communicate both verbal and written
• Excellent numeracy and literacy skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Ability to work both autonomously and as part of a team
• Ability to care for patient workload and manage their needs with supervision from registered discharge co‑ordinator
• Ability to undertake nursing assessments and document clearly
• Ability to communicate patient needs to be supporting registered nurse and elevate concerns
• Flexible approach to the workplace
• Good knowledge of IT systems such as patient databases and Microsoft office suite
• Ability to handle sensitive or complex situations and resolve conflict
• Excellent negotiation and influencing skills

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer name

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

£27,485 to £30,162 a year per annum, pro rata