Flow and Discharge Co-ordinator Assistant

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust; Dartford; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Flow and Discharge Co-ordinator Assistant (Band 3) for 37.5 hours at Pinewood House, Dartford. Fixed-term 12 months, salary £30,630–£32,346 per year. Work focuses on timely discharge planning, multi-disciplinary collaboration and patient flow support across boroughs.

The role requires mainly mental health experience, basic Excel skills, and a valid driving licence. The post involves travel to other sites to support discharge coordinators and maintain

Qualifications

• Mental health experience across inpatient/outpatient settings.
• Basic proficiency in Excel, spreadsheets and reporting.

Responsibilities

• Assist discharge team with patient flow tasks and stakeholder liaison.
• Support with barriers-to-discharge forms within 72 hours of admission.
• Attend MDT, CPA and bed management meetings for identified patients.
• Assist with housing, benefits and housing protocol to ensure timely discharge.
• Coordinate referrals and ensure continuity of care with community services.

Skills

Mental health experience

Basic Excel

Tools

Excel

Job description

Flow and Discharge Co-ordinator Assistant

Band 3

Main area Adult Acute & Crisis Mental Health Grade Band 3 Contract 12 months (Fixed term until end of March 2027) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 277-8161120-AAC-A

Site Pinewood House Town Dartford Salary £30,630 - £32,346 pa inc Salary period Yearly Closing 17/09/2026 23:59

Job overview

ImportantSponsorshipInformation for this post: We are currently unable to offer a certificate ofsponsorshipfor this post.

The post holder will work as a key member of the Flow and Discharge Team based within the acute inpatient services (working age adult and older peoples). The post holder will work collaboratively directly with the band 6 discharge coordinators as well as with the Patient Flow Hub, Senior Flow and Discharge Coordinators (SF&DC), inpatient wards (internal and external), crisis teams, relevant community teams / services, service users and their families, working in a targeted way to achieve the best pathway for inpatients on discharge with early identification of factors that would potentially delay timely discharge and impact on provision of appropriate aftercare.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will focus mainly on patients with barriers to discharge across all three boroughs who require specific targeted support to unblock barriers to discharge that does not require the input of a registered nurse. To sit organisationally within the Patient Flow services and be present on the inpatient wards working with an identified caseload to enable effective discharge planning. The postholder would be required to travel to other Trust sites to support the SFDC and discharge Coordinators (DCs)within the discharge planning process for patients where required.

Working for our organisation

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children’s centres, schools and people’s homes.
We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

• We Listen
• We Care

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Support ward team and discharge co-ordinator with patient flow tasks (Contacting relevant stakeholders etc)
• Completion of the barriers to discharge form on Rio for newly admitted patients within 72 hours
• Attend MDT meetings, CPA’s and bed management meetings for identified patients
• Identifying issues with housing and benefits, offering support and advice.
• Liaising and developing roles with housing department for patients who are homeless, including services available for patients who are discharged without accommodation which includes completing homeless applications and gathering relevant documentation. Following housing protocol so 72 hours’ notice is given prior to discharge.
• Supporting home visits where there are concerns about the property and supporting ward OTs to complete OT assessments at home if needed.
• Supporting with benefits (note this excludes PIP claims)
• Support patients with assessment for council for housing
• Supporting patients with access to food parcels and items required on discharge.
• Linking with community support workers, to ensure continuity of care
• Supporting patients attend rehab assessments
• Support Repatriation to relevant area/countries and liaising with the home office for updates.
• To support with opening and closing referrals on Rio for patients under the Flow and Discharge Team (Discharge pathway)
• To develop strong working relationships and work in close partnership with ward multi-disciplinary teams, Patient Flow Hub, SF&DCs, Crisis teams, Community teams / services and social services to facilitate discharge from acute in-patient care to prevent delays and resolving complex discharge arrangements, for the effective, efficient and optimum management of inpatient beds.
• To support the co-ordination of timely and appropriate assessment and safe discharge of people from acute inpatient beds.
• Answer telephone calls in an efficient, courteous, professional and non-judgemental manner.
• Act as a point of contact for incoming referrals especially out of office hours, and communication with all relevant personnel in the process.
• Ensure all callers receive the correct response by following the Flow policy.
• Effectively manage caller’s expectations whilst providing correct and accurate information at all times.
• If there are no available beds within Oxleas, to advise the referrer of this and then begin the escalation process. The first point is to notify the SFDC so that they can make direct contact with the referrer to agree on a management plan.
• To attend daily Flow handover calls and meetings, and update on any changes on the bed state
• To form and maintain relationships with all oxleas teams, NHS teams and external services relevant to the discharge process.
• Take account of the cultural issues in communication with everyone, including work colleagues

Person specification

• Mental health experience
• basic excel, spreadsheets and updating of reports
• Full Driving licence with access to a car

Mental Health experience

• Minimum 2 years experience in a mental health setting

Competence

• Competent in English and Maths

Communication

• Good communication skills both verbally and written

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that welcomes and supports individuals of all abilities. Remember, if you meet the minimum criteria for this role and you have a disability, you can be guaranteed an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme - Please ensure you select this on your application form. We would encourage you to be open about your needs so we can work with you to design a comfortable and accessible interview experience. Any information you provide regarding a disability or a need for adjustments will be treated in confidence and will only be shared with colleagues who are supporting this request.

If you require any adjustments to participate fully in the interview process, please let us know by adding the relevant details when scheduling your preferred interview date and time. Please feel free to contact the appointing manager to discuss your needs.

We encourage applicants to contact the hiring manager before their interview, if they have any questions about the role or the process. This is a great way to get clarity and prepare effectively for the interview.

If you have declared you are part of the armed forces community, you may be asked to provide evidence during the recruitment process. If you misrepresent this information, your offer may be withdrawn. For Armed Forces specific support, see our webpage: https://oxleas.nhs.uk/armed-forces-community/

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

If you choose to use AI or other tools to assist in writing your application, it's essential to personalise this information, particularly your supporting information section. While AI can help streamline the writing process, these tools cannot fully grasp the context or requirements of the job you’re applying for. There is also a risk that it can generate false or misleading information. AI-generated job applications can often be generic, impersonal and may not accurately reflect your qualifications, knowledge, skills, and experiences. It is crucial that you personalise your supporting statement by articulating these in your unique voice. Relying solely on AI to write your application or supporting information section is not advocated by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and could negatively impact your chances of success in the application process.

We monitor applications for any behaviour that could create an unfair advantage, and we check all references carefully. You are likely to be tested on your experience at interview, so be honest and make sure all the information in your application is correct.Please note that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is prohibited during the interview process.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

The postholder will have regular contact with vulnerable people and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Name Joanne George Job title Patient Flow and Discharge Team Clinical Manager Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 07386652371 Additional information Landline 02039276165