Discharge Assessment Nurse | Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

We are seeking highly motivated and dynamic registered nurses to our friendly supportive team, and look forward to welcoming you onboard as a Band 6 Specialist Nursewithin ourIntegrated Discharge Service. Here at Discharge Team we believe that no-one should stay in hospital longer than their acute needs last and every patient is supported to leave hospital as soon as the first opportunity arises. Home is the best place and as a team we strive to obtain this for our patients. If you are an enthusiastic, experienced registered nurse with a specialist interest in / looking to develop skills in complex discharge assessment & planning then we have the role for you in our Integrated Discharge Service. This is an exciting and challenging role for an experienced individual who is dynamic, possessing strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to deal with difficult and sensitive situations within a busy & challenging clinical setting. You will support further developing the service and discharge pathways for our patients. Please note there will be a presentation and an unseen written assessment that will be apart of your interview. Our team work on the principle of home is always the first option and we pride ourselves of working towards this ethos however not all patients are suitable for home discharge and this is where we at the Integrated Discharge Team come into our own. You will possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills. You will be required to work collaboratively and co-operatively with multi-disciplinary teams; both within the Trust and across the wider health and social care system to facilitate the patients' safe & seamless transfer from hospital to their optimum discharge destination in a timely manner. We welcome applications from nurses who want to expand their knowledge and experience in this area and all relevant training for role will be given through a comprehensive induction programme. We couldn't possibly tell everything about our wonderful team here, so we actively encourage you to ring for further details or we are happy for you to shadow the team or have an informal visit. As part of the role, you will be required to work on either Trust site. You will be expected to work during the service operational hours of Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm, and 8am to 4pm at the weekends/bank holidays on a rota basis. We have 10,000 fantastic people working hard to deliver quality services to our patients. Whatever your role, you help look after 370,000 people in our local area & give specialist care to 1.5 million people across Lancashire & Cumbria. Working with us gives you the knowledge and sense of pride that every activity you do genuinely does make a difference to support our patients & staff, ensuring we keep thriving & delivering outstanding healthcare right across our local towns. You'll have access to varied development opportunities, learn new skills, meet fab people & do things you'd never have done. You'll learn about working in a hospital, interacting with people from all different roles to build skills & enhance your career path alongside other multi disciplinary teams. You'll make an impact, be challenged to think differently, be bold & help innovate to keep improving things. Everything we do centres around patient care and enhancing their experience which means your role is pivotal and something really to be proud of. Reporting to the Clinical Manager(s) for the Integrated Discharge Service, you will be responsible for co-ordination of the discharge of patients with complex needs within a single assessment process and timely transfer across the 7 day week. You will foster a culture of good inter-disciplinary and organisational working, constantly demonstrating high standards of professional behaviour, acting as role model for the wider team and acting as a positive ambassador for Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, ensuring the expected standards of behaviour are integrated within the Integrated Discharge Service at all times. You have specialised expertise for matters relating to complex discharge matters within the Trust and act as a conduit for all guidance and information. Role Duties:

• Be responsible for a case load of patients to progress their hospital journey from admission to discharge and to cover other Discharge assessment nurse in their absence
• Supporting the Discharge to Assess pathways, Work internally but also in partnership with the Local Authority (dependent on case) to manage and progress a case load of patients who require on-going assessments and treatment and/or therapy outside of an acute hospital setting.
• Complete mental capacity assessments to inform discharge planning where appropriate.
• Provide specialist knowledge, support and guidance to colleagues regarding discharge planning.
• To support ward staff in the identification of possible safeguarding issues arising from the community or regarding discharge planning and to ensure that the ward are able to escalate these issues in line with the trusts safeguarding policy.
• You will work closely with the Ward Manager to provide mentorship, education and support to the ward based Discharge facilitators to ensure they are competent in facilitating timely and safe discharges.
• Have knowledge of health and social care services, roles and responsibilities and apply this to support patient discharges.
• Identify delays in the patient journey and act appropriately to challenge process.
• Work collaboratively and in partnership with other practitioners to offer appropriate advice to all professions on care practices, delivery and service development.
• Be able to respond to escalation pressures to improve flow by identifying appropriate discharge pathways, thinking creatively about new ways of working.
• Complete trusted assessments to enable patients to return back to their usual place of residence (24 hour care placement
• Provide educational sessions for ward based Discharge facilitators, new starters and updates for existing staff.
• To support ward staff in the identification of possible safeguarding issues arising from the community or regarding discharge planning and to ensure that the ward are able to escalate these issues in line with the trusts safeguarding policy.
• You will work closely with the Ward Manager to provide mentorship, education and support to the ward based Discharge facilitators to ensure they are competent in facilitating timely and safe discharges.
• Have knowledge of health and social care services, roles and responsibilities and apply this to support patient discharges.
• Identify delays in the patient journey and act appropriately to challenge process.
• Work collaboratively and in partnership with other practitioners to offer appropriate advice to all professions on care practices, delivery and service development.
• Be able to respond to escalation pressures to improve flow by identifying appropriate discharge pathways, thinking creatively about new ways of working.
• Complete trusted assessments to enable patients to return back to their usual place of residence (24 hour care placements).
• Work with and communicate closely with patients, families and carers, managing complex and challenging situations to achieve the best outcome for all involved.
• Deputise for the Clinical lead integrated discharge service when required
• Provide educational sessions for ward based Discharge facilitators, new starters and updates for existing staff.