Social Worker - Hospital Pathway Team

London Borough of Sutton; Greater London; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

26–32 days leave

Flexible working

Local Government Pension Scheme

Volunteer days

Job summary

London Borough of Sutton is seeking a Social Worker for Adult Social Care within the Hospital Pathways Team. You will conduct assessments, manage complex cases and ensure high-quality care for adults, coordinating input from families, carers and NHS partners to support timely discharges.

The role emphasises compassionate, person-centred care, strong communication and collaboration within a supportive team, with opportunities for professional development and supervision.

Qualifications

• Qualified Social Worker with current registration with Social Work England.
• 2 years post-qualifying experience in adult services.
• Knowledge of Care Act 2014 and Mental Capacity Act 2005.
• Strong assessment, outcome-focused care planning and risk management skills.
• Ability to communicate complex social issues clearly to patients and professionals.
• Ability to plan and coordinate social care plans and patient discharge.

Responsibilities

• Conduct assessments for adults in care.
• Manage complex cases within Hospital Pathways Team.
• Provide high standards of care and person-centred plans.
• Collaborate with families, carers and external agencies to achieve outcomes.
• Contribute to discharge planning and ensuring safe transitions.

Skills

Communication skills

Empathy

Teamwork

Education

Social Work degree

Job description

Salary Basis Per annum

Leave Entitlement 28 days

Application Deadline 04/10/2026, 23:55

Anticipated Interview Date(s) TBC

About the Borough

The London Borough of Sutton is situated less than 30 minutes by train from Central London, with direct connections to London Victoria and London Bridge. Found in zone 5 with good transport links in and out of London, Sutton boasts award winning parks and open spaces, low crime rates, affordable housing and great schools. As well as high levels of resident engagement and satisfaction, providing quality services and success in addressing our financial challenges, whilst involving residents in key issues and high street changes.

Sutton is continuously investing in the health, wellbeing and education of our residents and the future generation, as set out in the “Ambitious for Sutton” corporate plan. We are home to the Royal Marsden Hospital and the Institute of Cancer Research. Together with the development of the London Cancer Hub, Sutton will be the world’s leading life-science district, specialising in cancer research and treatment. Our vision will create around 13,000 jobs while contributing £1.2bn to the UK economy each year, a vibrant community of scientists, doctors and innovative companies intended to deliver real benefits for cancer patients and drive economic growth. With the regeneration of the local areas with new homes and schools, Sutton is passionate about working closely with our residents and vulnerable groups to help them maintain their independence and create a balance between support and independent living.

The Council is seen as a driving force within the South London Partnership of five outer south west London boroughs focused on strategic growth, regeneration and investment. As we strive to improve our services and spaces for our residents as set out in the ‘Ambitious for Sutton’ corporate plan, Sutton aims to shape the future of the borough and adapt to the needs of its residents to make our Borough a great place to live, work and raise a family.

About the Role and our Ideal Candidate

Adult Social Care as a Social Worker and receive a Welcome Bonus* of £1000 paid in your first month's salary or a Retention Bonus* of £1000 paid for every complete year in service (*subject to pay scale within the grade).

We've got an exciting opportunity for you as a Social Worker in Adult Social Care. Our mission is to empower adults to live independently as possible, and we need your expertise to make it happen. This role will challenge you in a dynamic and diverse environment, helping you expand your skills and knowledge in the practice of soc ial care. As a Social Worker working within the Hospital Pathways Team, you will conduct assessments, manage complex cases, and provide high standards of care. Our teams are renowned for its ability to craft outstanding care plans that prioritise the needs and voices of service users, integrating input from various professionals, families/carers, and external agencies to ensure the best outcomes are achieved.

Our Ideal Candidate

This position offers an excellent opportunity for individuals with outstanding communication skills and a compassionate manner capable of effectively managing high levels of emotional distress. We encourage applications from candidates with experience in adult care and those passionate about delivering person-centred care. You'll join a welcoming, supportive, and energetic team dedicated to providing first class supervision and ongoing professional development opportunities.

In addition, we would expect the following from all suitable candidates:

• Qualified Social Worker with current registration with Social Work England and eligibility to work in the UK.
• 2 years post qualifying experience working in adult services, assessing and supporting individuals with diverse needs and successful completion of their ASYE.
• Sound knowledge of relevant legislation, including the Care Act 2014 and Mental Capacity Act 2005 as well as social work theories.
• Strong assessment, outcome focussed care planning, and risk management skills.
• Ability to communicate complex social issues clearly to both patients and professionals.
• Ability to plan and coordinate social care plans and aspects of patient discharge.

For more information about the role and/or an informal conversation, view the Role Profile or contact Keyur Patel, Team Manager Hospital Pathways on [e-mail]

About Us

Adult Social Care is undergoing a significant transformation to address the rising demand for our services. We're implementing wide-ranging changes to improve care for adults and create positive working environments for our staff. We have new leaders and experienced managers who bring innovative ideas to the service and are driving meaningful changes throughout your service delivery. Our goal is to deliver exceptional care that enhances outcomes for our community whilst providing an inclusive, diverse and stable environment for staff to grow their career.

Hospital Pathway And Reablement (Start) Service

Staff within our hospital team work closely with NHS colleagues to facilitate safe, timely discharge. Their priority is to enable people to return to their own homes, utilising reablement and other services to enable them regain independence.

For more information on our new operating model and teams click here .

Our Offer To You

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits to enable staff to achieve a work life balance, some of which include:

• A generous annual leave entitlement of 26-32 days plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply) depending on service and grade
• Enhanced Maternity, paternity, shared parental, adoption and dependents leave
• Two volunteering days per year
• Flexible Working - Smarter Working Scheme (dependent on the role)
• Adjustable and agile working arrangements using Google Chromebooks
• Learning and development portal offering a range of courses
• Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
• Electric vehicle leasing scheme
• Confidential health & wellbeing and counselling support

Application Process

We understand and recognise the benefits of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workplace and are embracing AI where appropriate, to boost our productivity and streamline how we deliver our Council services efficiently; to provide the best possible outcomes for our residents and communities.
However, we reserve the right to reject applications where it is apparent that AI-generated content has been used in isolation and without personalised responses. At Sutton we value authenticity and are looking for individuals who can clearly demonstrate their own skills, experience and motivation for the role that they are applying for and embrace and demonstrate our PRIDE values.
Here at Sutton we have core values of Transparency and this is to be demonstrated during the application process and completion of the supporting statement and will be further tested at interview and selection stage for those who progress forward.

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

As part of our award winning Diversity Programme we anonymise all applications received to reduce conscious and unconscious bias enabling every application to be reviewed on the knowledge, skills and experience shown in your application. We encourage our interview panels to be as diverse as possible (age, cultural, neurodiverse etc.) to reduce bias where possible. We are fully committed to removing barriers and enhancing the diversity of our workforce.

Additional Information

We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough and we strive to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and instil a sense of belonging in our staff. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce, therefore we welcome applications from under represented groups.

To support our workers and their families we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.

We are also proud to be a disability confident employer and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role. As an accredited London Living Wage Employer all our employees are guaranteed the London Living Wage regardless of their length or type of contract.

The UK has a points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non‑EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance. Sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.

Important Information - Criminal Records

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory result to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. It replaces the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).