Specialist Practitioner - Capacity and Flow

Integrated Care System; Leeds; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in Leeds seeks a Specialist Practitioner to optimise the flow of services users in acute and PICU inpatient settings. The role involves identifying barriers to discharge and collaborating with clinical teams. Candidates should have a relevant professional qualification and significant experience in acute mental health care. This position offers excellent benefits including flexible working and career development opportunities.

Benefits

27 - 33 days annual leave

Flexible working arrangements

NHS Pension Scheme

Qualifications

• Demonstrates existence of extensive skills in working with people with serious, acute and long term mental health problems.
• Evidence of post qualification development to degree level or similar gained through experience.

Responsibilities

• Support flow through acute and PICU inpatient services.
• Work collaboratively to identify and address discharge barriers.

Skills

Skills in working with people with mental health problems

Extensive experience in acute mental health care

Education

Relevant Core Professional Qualification

Job description

Go back Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Specialist Practitioner - Capacity and Flow

The closing date is 02 September 2025

The purpose of this role is to optimise the flow of services users, admitted to acute and PICU inpatient beds; ensuring individuals lengths of stay and not unnecessarily extended due to issues with discharge planning or barriers to discharge.The Specialist Practitioner for flow will lead on the following:

proactive identification of any barriers or potential barriers to discharge at the point of admission and throughout their stay

monitoring and actively assisting in robustly addressing identified barriers at the earliest opportunity; working in close collaboration with capacity and flow and Inpatient clinical team colleagues, and all other involved parties

The post holder will work alongside the bed managers and capacity and flow colleagues to ensure the day-to-day delivery of the Capacity and Flow Service, deputising for the Operations Manager as required.

Main duties of the job

• Take a lead role in supporting flow through the acute and PICU inpatient services.
• Take a lead role in working in collaboration with capacity and flow and clinical colleagues to support the early identification of barriers or potential barriers to discharge.
• Take a lead role in working in collaboration with capacity and flow and clinical colleagues in addressing the identified barriers, in order to facilitate timely discharge. This could include attending MDT/professionals meetings and liaison with a range of internal and external stakeholders (for example adult social care, local authority, third sector organisations, specialist services within LYPFT. The post holder will establish good working relationships with these providers/organisations and be confident in requesting their involvement and liaising about specific issues or service users, as required; develop a good understanding of their systems and processes along the way.
• Along with Capacity and Flow colleagues, work in close contact with the ward based clinical teams and in particular with the Team Managers, Medics, Inpatient Discharge Peer Support Worker and Occupational Therapists; receiving information from them relating to potential barriers and actively inputting in to specific work relating to addressing barriers/discharge planning.
• Support, along with bed management colleagues, in facilitation of the optimum usage of acute and PICU beds to ensure that the Trust maintains capacity for admission.

About us

The Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT) is the main provider of Mental Health and Learning Disability services in Leeds. We also provide specialist inpatient services in York and some highly specialised services across the country. As a teaching trust with strong links to local universities, we are a centre of excellence for teaching, research and development.

There are many benefits of working for LYPFT including fantastic employee wellbeing support, 27 - 33 days annual leave, flexible working and remote working arrangements, the NHS Pension Scheme, coaching, support and opportunities for career development and training and education support alongside a range of exclusive discounts and payment schemes including for cars, extra leave days and more NHS Discount Offers.

We also have an incredible bank department, offering variety of roles in nursing, allied health professions, healthcare support worker and administration clerical. Permanent employees are automatically added to bank.

Applicants should be aware that any individual requiring a visa to work in the UK, the Trust provides sponsorship for registered healthcare practitioner roles only (this does not include Healthcare Support Workers). This is an essential requirement, and the Trust is unable to offer you a role if you do not meet Trust requirements for sponsorship and Home Office requirements for a visa.

Job responsibilities

To find out more about the key responsibilities and the specific skills and experience youll need, look at the Job Description & Person Specification attachments under the Supporting Documents heading.

So that youre even more equipped to make an informed decision to apply to us, youll need to take time to read theCandidate Guide to Values Based Recruitment. This document provides you with information to help you apply.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Relevant Core Professional Qualification - i.e. Diploma OT/BSc OT, Dip SW/AHMP, RN (Mental Health), or other relevant qualification

Skills

• Demonstrates existence of extensive skills in working with people with serious, acute and long term mental health problems (across a range of age groups and clinical needs).

Experience

• Evidence of post qualification development to degree level, or similar gained through experience and significant experience in acute mental health care.

Knowledge

• Demonstrate an advanced knowledge and understanding of working within the crisis and acute care pathway.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust