Discharge and Flow Clinician (12-Month Maternity Cover)

HCRG Care Group; Swindon; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

NHS Pension

Discounts via My Reward Hub

Wages as you earn them

Wellbeing support and access to career

Career development opportunities

Job summary

HCRG Care Group is recruiting for a Band 6 Discharge and Flow Clinician to support safe, timely discharge planning across inpatient services at Great Western Hospital. You will assess patients holistically, coordinate discharge pathways, liaise with colleagues across acute and community settings, and provide clinical leadership within a seven-day service.

This role requires experience in discharge planning and strong collaborative skills, with a focus on safeguarding, capacity assessments, and

Qualifications

• Registered healthcare professional (RGN, AHP, Social Worker or equivalent).
• Experience in discharge planning, patient flow or transitional care.
• Ability to undertake autonomous assessment and decision-making regarding discharge pathways.
• Knowledge of the Care Act, Mental Capacity Act, Safeguarding and Information Governance requirements.
• Understanding of national hospital discharge policy and guidance.
• Experience working collaboratively across multidisciplinary and multi-agency teams.
• Effective communication, negotiation and conflict-resolution skills.
• Ability to prioritise workload and manage complex caseloads.
• Experience influencing clinical decisions and supporting patient-centred outcomes.
• Ability to support patients, carers and families through difficult discussions.
• Demonstrable resilience and professionalism under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and facilitate timely, safe and effective discharge pathways for patients across inpatient services.
• Undertake holistic assessments and contribute to discharge planning using evidence-based practice.
• Liaise with acute, community, social care and voluntary sector services to ensure continuity of care.
• Provide clinical leadership and support to junior team members, including supervision and performance oversight.
• Manage complex patient cases, applying the Mental Capacity Act, safeguarding processes and Continuing Healthcare guidance.
• Support operational service delivery, including admission avoidance and escalation processes.
• Deputise for the Band 7 Lead as required and represent the service at relevant meetings.
• Contribute to quality improvement initiatives, performance targets and seven-day service provision.

Skills

Discharge planning

Holistic assessment

Autonomous decision-making

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Communication skills

Multidisciplinary teamwork

Education

Registered healthcare professional (RGN/AHP/Social Worker)

Job description

Patient Flow and Discharge Team

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Patient Flow and Discharge Team at Great Western Hospital.

The post holder will be responsible for supporting safe, effective and timely discharge planning across inpatient services, ensuring patients are assessed holistically and directed to the most appropriate discharge pathway. Working collaboratively with consultants, ward teams, community providers, social care and voluntary sector organisations, the successful candidate will facilitate patient flow and contribute to the delivery of high‑quality, person‑centred care. The role forms part of a multidisciplinary seven‑day service focused on improving patient experience, reducing delays and supporting positive healthcare outcomes.

Location: Great Western Hospital

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Package Description

As a Band 6 Discharge and Flow Clinician with HCRG Care Group, you’ll receive:

• NHS Agenda for Change Band 6 salary with an NHS pension
• Membership of My Reward Hub, giving you discounts on everyday purchases, plus cashback and voucher offers
• Access to your wages as you earn them
• Online and in‑person wellbeing support, including mental health services, activity challenges, financial wellbeing tools, coaching and counselling
• Access to e‑learning, bespoke career pathways and development opportunities through our Outstanding Learning Enterprise team
• An open, just culture with encouragement to share ideas, supported by ringfenced innovation funding each year
• The pride of working for an organisation where most rated services are Good or Outstanding with the CQC

Main Duties of the Role

• Coordinate and facilitate timely, safe and effective discharge pathways for patients across inpatient services.
• Undertake holistic assessments and contribute to discharge planning using evidence‑based practice.
• Liaise with acute, community, social care and voluntary sector services to ensure continuity of care.
• Provide clinical leadership and support to junior team members, including supervision and performance oversight.
• Manage complex patient cases, applying the Mental Capacity Act, safeguarding processes and Continuing Healthcare guidance.
• Support operational service delivery, including admission avoidance and escalation processes.
• Deputise for the Band 7 Lead as required and represent the service at relevant meetings.
• Contribute to quality improvement initiatives, performance targets and seven‑day service provision.

Person Specification

For full details of the role,responsibilities, and person specification, please refer to the attached JobDescription.

Essential Criteria

• Registered healthcare professional (RGN, AHP, Social Worker or equivalent).
• Experience in discharge planning, patient flow or transitional care.
• Ability to undertake autonomous assessment and decision‑making regarding discharge pathways.
• Knowledge of the Care Act, Mental Capacity Act, Safeguarding and Information Governance requirements.
• Understanding of national hospital discharge policy and guidance.
• Experience working collaboratively across multidisciplinary and multi‑agency teams.
• Effective communication, negotiation and conflict‑resolution skills.
• Ability to prioritise workload and manage complex caseloads.
• Experience influencing clinical decisions and supporting patient‑centred outcomes.
• Ability to support patients, carers and families through difficult discussions.
• Demonstrable resilience and professionalism under pressure.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of quality improvement, audit or service redesign.
• Supervisory or mentorship experience.
• Knowledge of Continuing Healthcare processes.
• Experience working in community or intermediate care services.
• Understanding of system‑wide discharge and flow initiatives.

About the Company

We change lives by transforming health and care. Established in 2006, we are one of the UK's leading independent providers of community health and care services, working with health and care commissioners and communities to transform services with a focus on experience, efficiency, and improved outcomes. We deliver and transform adult and children community health services, primary care services including urgent care, sexual health, dermatology and MSK services as well as adult social care and wellbeing services. Across England, we support communities of many millions and directly help more than half a million people each year, guided by our simple values: we care, we think, we do.

We're committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from a broad, diverse range of people who want to join our team. We're a Disability Confident Committed company, so we work to provide facilities, work environment adjustments and technical solutions to be as inclusive of everyone.

While it doesn't happen often, sometimes a role is very popular and we'll need to close it earlier than the date we've shown here.

As you'd expect, safeguarding and protecting the children, young people and vulnerable adults that we work with is of the utmost importance so we have policies and procedures in place to promote safeguarding and safer working practices and everyone who joins the team is subject to a safer recruitment process, including the disclosure of criminal records and vetting checks.