Job summary We are recruiting for a Discharge Planning Nurse who shares our vision to be trusted to provide consistently outstanding care and exemplary service to our patients. You will be expected to plan, provide and maintain effective Discharge Planning care to patients and their relatives. You also continuously develop and enhance knowledge and skills that will directly influence consistent standards of Discharge Planning practice. At the heart of everything we do are our core values: Include, Respect, and Improve. We encourage you to embrace these values throughout the recruitment process and in your role with us. Main duties of the job Support Ward staff and Multidisciplinary team (MDT) to develop robust and effective discharge plans which are Patient focused. Act as a resource to ward staff/patients/relatives offering advice and help on all aspects of discharge planning. Facilitate referrals in conjunction with the ward staff to outside agencies to ensure continuity of care. Assess individuals needs and completing NHS Continuing Healthcare assessments. Manage own caseload of patients and ensure any barriers to safe, effective and timely discharges are escalated appropriately. Liaise with community teams concerning patient discharges. Identify and manage potential problems that may prevent timely discharge. Escalate as appropriate Assist in the facilitation of training required for staff, patients and carers to meet any training needs identified to affect the discharge of individual patients. Negotiate and agree care plans with Community agencies, patients and their families. Ensure, with other MDT members, that patients and their relatives are involved and informed of discharge arrangements and discharge planning is documented. Act as patient advocate at all times. Ensure contemporaneous records are kept in the patient medical records and on the Trust electronic system. About us At East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, we are proud of the range of general and specialist services we provide and our 6,000 or so dedicated staff ensure our patients get the best care. Our ability to be flexible and innovative in the way in which we work and deliver our services to our catchment has never been more important than it is now. We run the following hospitals: The Lister Hospital, Stevenage New Queen Elizabeth II (New QEII), Welwyn Garden City Hertford County, Hertford Mount Vernon Cancer Centre (MVCC), Northwood We have ambitious plans to become an outstanding, patient-led Trust where dedicated staff provide high-quality, compassionate care to our patients. We continue to undergo significant transformation and our staff and patients are at the heart of delivering this ambitious agenda. We are committed to a positive work life balance for our employees. This means that any employee is entitled to seek to work flexible working patterns and we are committed to listen and consider all requests. Such requests, of course, have to be made and considered formally, and will need to be balanced against service needs, but our starting point will always be to find ways to support making them happen. Date posted 20 March 2025 Pay scheme Agenda for change Band Band 6 Salary £37,338 to £44,962 a year Per annum Contract Permanent Working pattern Full-time Reference number 361-7034622 Job locations Lister Hospital Coreys Mill Lane Stevenage SG1 4AB Job description Job responsibilities Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification information pack for further detailed information regarding this role. Job description Job responsibilities Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification information pack for further detailed information regarding this role. Person Specification Qualifications Essential NMC Nursing Registration Evidence of ongoing personal development Ability to produce personal portfolio Desirable Teaching qualification/experience Education to degree level Previous Experience Essential Extensive experience in discharge planning Experience of a wide range of acute and community pathways and processes in relation to patient needs and discharge process Desirable Evidence of innovation in practice Experience of liaison between acute hospital and community services Experience of mentoring, assessing, coaching Experience in bed management Experience in participating/undertaking audit Experience of devising, implementing and evaluating change programmes Skills Essential Assessment skills and the ability to recognise signs of a deteriorating patient who may be approaching end of life Appropriate application of the NHS CHC Framework particularly relating to fast track discharge planning. Good proven leadership and motivational skills Evidence of good communication skills both written and verbal Advanced problem solving and decision making skills Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines Report writing and presentation skills Assertiveness and influencing skills Ability to plan, prioritise and work independently and manage own workload Ability to work in a multi-professional arena, developing relationships and effective partnerships across agencies Ability to analyse and assess information to develop a service Ability to analyse data and maintain relevant databases Ability to implement changes in practice Excellent standard of verbal and written communication Ability to promote good working partnerships with other agencies both internal and external Self-motivated Knowledge Essential Current knowledge of issues affecting the provision of health services in the changing health care market Working knowledge of delayed transfer of care act Working knowledge of MCA/DOLS policies and guidance Computer literate The various agencies and their role relating to discharge planning Current knowledge of issues affecting the provision of health services in the changing health care market Working knowledge of barriers to discharge planning Working knowledge of wider health and social/community care policies and impact on role Other Requriements Essential Experience and evidence of engagement around the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda. Able to actively support the development of a culture that recognises and promotes equality, values diversity, and actively leads by example in deploying these qualities. Understands the impact on equality, diversity and inclusion issues in all aspects of service delivery and planning Role model our Trust values every day Person Specification Qualifications Essential NMC Nursing Registration Evidence of ongoing personal development Ability to produce personal portfolio Desirable Teaching qualification/experience Education to degree level Previous Experience Essential Extensive experience in discharge planning Experience of a wide range of acute and community pathways and processes in relation to patient needs and discharge process Desirable Evidence of innovation in practice Experience of liaison between acute hospital and community services Experience of mentoring, assessing, coaching Experience in bed management Experience in participating/undertaking audit Experience of devising, implementing and evaluating change programmes Skills Essential Assessment skills and the ability to recognise signs of a deteriorating patient who may be approaching end of life Appropriate application of the NHS CHC Framework particularly relating to fast track discharge planning. Good proven leadership and motivational skills Evidence of good communication skills both written and verbal Advanced problem solving and decision making skills Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines Report writing and presentation skills Assertiveness and influencing skills Ability to plan, prioritise and work independently and manage own workload Ability to work in a multi-professional arena, developing relationships and effective partnerships across agencies Ability to analyse and assess information to develop a service Ability to analyse data and maintain relevant databases Ability to implement changes in practice Excellent standard of verbal and written communication Ability to promote good working partnerships with other agencies both internal and external Self-motivated Knowledge Essential Current knowledge of issues affecting the provision of health services in the changing health care market Working knowledge of delayed transfer of care act Working knowledge of MCA/DOLS policies and guidance Computer literate The various agencies and their role relating to discharge planning Current knowledge of issues affecting the provision of health services in the changing health care market Working knowledge of barriers to discharge planning Working knowledge of wider health and social/community care policies and impact on role Other Requriements Essential Experience and evidence of engagement around the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda. Able to actively support the development of a culture that recognises and promotes equality, values diversity, and actively leads by example in deploying these qualities. Understands the impact on equality, diversity and inclusion issues in all aspects of service delivery and planning Role model our Trust values every day 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. Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab). From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab). UK Registration Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window). Additional information 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. Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab). From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab). UK Registration Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window). Employer details Employer name East and North Herts NHS Trust Address Lister Hospital Coreys Mill Lane Stevenage SG1 4AB Employer's website https://www.enherts-tr.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)