Discharge Pathway Facilitator (Inpatient Social Worker)

LSCft; Preston; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Band 6 Inpatient Social Worker to join Secure Services Guild Lodge in Preston. The post requires Social Work England registration and a strong background in secure mental health and offender health.

You will conduct holistic social work assessments, lead discharge planning, work with multidisciplinary teams, and support timely discharges while safeguarding patient welfare.

Qualifications

• Registered Social Worker with Social Work England registration.
• Degree level qualification or equivalent.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• Ability to communicate effectively with professionals and stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead social care service delivery and discharge planning within Guild Lodge.
• Conduct holistic social work assessments for complex patients.
• Identify social work needs and coordinate family involvement.
• Liaise with Local Authorities and other agencies to support discharge.
• Attend MDT meetings and provide expert input on care planning.

Skills

Communication skills

Written communication

Interpersonal skills

Team collaboration

Education

Degree in Social Work

Social Work England registration

Job description

Band 6

Main area Social Services Grade Band 6 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 351-BAY1095-EB-A

Site Guild Lodge Town Preston Salary £39,959 - £48,117 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 11/10/2026 23:59

Our Vision is to provide the best mental health, learning disability, autism, community, and physical health services for the populations we serve.

As an integrated Trust, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCFT) delivers a comprehensive range of services, including:

• Primary and secondary mental health care for children and adults, including specialist inpatient child and adolescent mental health provision, perinatal mental health, and forensic services with low and medium secure care.
• Specialist mental health inpatient care for individuals with learning disabilities, alongside specialist community support for children and adults with learning disabilities and autism, including intensive support.
• Extensive community physical health and well-being services for children and adults, covering prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and long-term condition management.

The Trust was first established in 2002 and employs approximately 7,500 staff who provide care from more than 400 sites. The organisation offers opportunities for medics, mental health, general nurses, children’s nurses, allied health professionals, psychology, administration and clerical staff, apprentices and volunteers, as well as those specialising in learning disabilities and community physical health services.

An opportunity has arisen to join Secure Services Guild Lodge as a Forensic Discharge Pathway Facilitator (Inpatient Social Worker). The post holder is required to be a qualified Social Worker with Social Work England registration.

The Discharge Pathway Facilitator (Inpatient Social Worker) is an integral member of the Multi-Disciplinary Team. The Post Holder will work in close partnership with a range of agencies and organisations internal and external to LSCFT to offer social care input. They will take a lead role from pre-admission by completing a holistic social work assessment, identifying any social work needs, undertake family work, and support with discharge planning. This includes early identification of barriers to discharge, taking action to prevent any unnecessary delay to discharges.

Secure Mental Health inpatient care for Lancashire and South Cumbria is provided at Guild Lodge, Whittingham. The service has steadily expanded from it's inception in 1999 and currently has a range of inpatient and community services.

Guild Lodge has 144 beds and is made up of 3 Care Pathways:

Men's Care Pathway – Men’s Medium secure, Low secure and step down wards

Women's Care Pathway – Women’s Medium and Low secure wards

Forensic Brain Injury Service - Men’s Medium and Low secure wards

Guild Lodge hospital site is situated in a beautiful rural area, yet close to motorway links from all directions of travel

Main duties of the job

This post will be suited to a Social Work England registered Social Worker with an interest and knowledge of Secure Mental Health and Offender Health.

The Post Holder will work in close partnership with a range of professionals, agencies and organisations both internal and external to LSCFT to ensure effective social care provision and discharge processes within Guild Lodge.

The Post Holder will take a lead role in providing a social care service to patient at Guild Lodge and facilitating discharge planning. This will include:

Demonstrates specialist skills to ensure all necessary assessments for a complex patient group for example Health and Social Needs assessments are completed in a timely fashion.

Demonstrates knowledge of complex mental, physical health, and Learning Disability and Autism needs.

Support with identifying the need for capacity assessments and liaise with the Local Authorities or the Decision Maker about this.

Attend Multi-Disciplinary meetings for example, Care Team Meetings, Care Programme Approach and Best Interest’s meetings, and MAPPA meetings.

In-depth knowledge of individual patient’s needs, requirements and wishes which will be used to formulate in depth assessments to facilitate funding applications and discharge into the community.

Working for our organisation

LSCFT values diversity and inclusion, recognising that talent from varied backgrounds creates a flexible, creative, and effective workforce. We actively challenge discrimination and welcome applications from all, regardless of age, disability (including those with experience of accessing or caring for someone who has accessed mental health or learning disability services), ethnicity, gender, religion, belief, or sexual orientation.

Our aim is to reflect the communities we serve, so we particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups. If you’d like to discuss your application, please ask.

We also welcome individuals with lived experience relevant to the role or service area, as your insight brings authenticity to our services.

LSCFT support flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as term time, part time, compressed hours and flexi-time.

The wellbeing of our people is at the heart of everything we do. We offer a wide range of resources, tools and support to help you thrive both in and out of work.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see attached the job description and person specification for more information about this role.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Registered Social Worker
• Degree level qualification and or equivalent level of skills, knowledge and experience
• Evidence of continuing professional development

Knowledge

• In-depth knowledge of social care issues and how this relates to care delivery.
• Highly developed specialist knowledge across a range of interventions, legal frameworks and assessment methods which are relevant to learning
• Working knowledge of current legislation and national initiatives

Skills and Abilities

• Ability to communicate effectively with professionals, colleagues and other stakeholders both verbally and written
• The ability to absorb, interpret and manipulate new information quickly.
• The ability to work with a wide range of staff groups

You are advised to consider applying for LSCFT vacancies as soon as possible as in some instances vacancies are closed as soon as a sufficient number of applications have been received. If you are not invited to interview within four weeks of the closing date then please assume that on this occasion you have been unsuccessful, as it is not possible to contact all unsuccessful candidates.

Please note that further communication from LSCFT will normally be to the email address given on the application form. You should also ensure that email addresses and telephone numbers are provided for your referees, to enable LSCFT to contact them.

Please ensure that you read the person specification as your application will be measured against this document.

If you use AI to assist with your application, you must declare this. Undeclared use may result in withdrawal. Please ensure your application reflects your own skills and experiences. While AI tools can assist, they may produce generic or inaccurate content. We encourage you to provide personal examples that demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria.

For all posts which require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check please be aware of the Disclosure and Barring Service Code of Practice, a copy of which is available by logging on to the DBS website. If the post is subject to DBS disclosure, a charge will be made to the successful candidate(s).

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.