Hospital Discharge Specialist Practitioner

Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust; Bath; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in Bath is seeking a professional to lead complex discharge management processes, ensuring safe, timely, and person-centred care. Responsibilities include leading discharge meetings, driving initiatives to reduce length of stay, and supporting vulnerable patients. The ideal candidate should have expertise in complex discharge management within a healthcare setting and a commitment to personal care. Join a team dedicated to making a difference in patients' lives.

Benefits

Comprehensive staff benefits

Support for staff wellbeing

Opportunities for career development

Qualifications

• Experience with complex community discharge meetings.
• Drive initiatives to reduce length of stay across the Trust.
• Facilitate conversations to manage patient expectations.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex community discharge meetings and track progress.
• Attend and lead ward drop-ins to minimise delays.
• Collaborate with the Vulnerable Adults Team for safe discharges.

Skills

Expertise in complex discharge management within a healthcare/NHS setting

Ability to lead in high-pressure environments

Commitment to personalised care

Innovative thinking for patient flow

Deputising for the IDS Manager

Job description

The post holder will lead the management of complex discharges within RUH, ensuring safe, timely, and person-centred processes that reduce length of stay and health inequalities. You will work collaboratively with internal teams and external partners to identify vulnerabilities early, implement admission avoidance strategies, and uphold Trust values of Everyone Matters, Working Together, Making a Difference.

Qualifications

• Expertise in complex discharge management within a healthcare/NHS setting.
• Ability to lead in high‑pressure environments while maintaining compassionate, inclusive care.
• Commitment to personalised care, shared decision‑making, and safeguarding.
• Innovative thinking to progress decisions that meet patient, carer, and organisational needs for safe patient flow.
• Deputising for the IDS Manager within the Care Transfer Hub when required.

Responsibilities

• To lead complex community discharge meetings and track progress for discussed cases.
• Drive initiatives to reduce long length of stay across the Trust.
• Attend and lead ward drop‑ins to minimise delays and escalates issues promptly.
• Facilitate conversations to manage patient expectations in line with Trust and BSW policy.
• Work with the MCA Lead and Vulnerable People Service to reduce delays in cases requiring Mental Capacity Assessments for discharge planning.
• Support complex financial discussions for self‑funding patients and resolve discrepancies.
• Assist with assessments and reports for litigation cases in collaboration with the Trust legal team.
• Implement admission avoidance strategies at the front door to prevent social admissions.
• Ensure patients, families, and MDT are informed to prevent communication breakdown and improve satisfaction.
• Collaborate with the Vulnerable Adults Team to ensure safe discharge planning for complex cases.
• Attend High Intensity Users group to develop admission avoidance strategies.

Working for our organisation

At the RUH we put people at the heart of what we do, working together as one team to make a difference for our patients, each other, and our community. No matter what your role is, we value everyone's contribution in supporting the exceptional, person-centred care we pride ourselves on.

We are proud to be in the top 20 best hospitals to work for in the country.

We are committed to creating a compassionate and inclusive environment. This can be seen in our growing community of staff networks - celebrating successes and creating opportunities to listen and learn. We value our differences, champion kindness and civility, and truly believe that diversity makes us stronger.

A culture of learning, developing and innovating is the thread that runs throughout our whole organisation. We want to support you to thrive, taking your career to its full potential.

We value staff wellbeing, with a well‑established programme of support. We believe in a holistic approach spanning all aspects of living a healthy life, including physical, emotional, spiritual and financial wellbeing. We've even got a pool!

We are committed to supporting you and hope you want to join our team. In the meantime, find out more about living and working the beautiful historic city of Bath, learn about our extensive package of staff benefits, and read about how we're providing healthcare fit for the future with the landmark Dyson Cancer Centre and our passion for research.