Discharge Officer

As a Discharge Officer at UHS, your role will be primarily administrative. Key responsibilities will include:
Supporting and coordinating safe, timely discharges for a designated ward or area, working closely with the multidisciplinary team (MDT), including nursing, medical, therapy, social services, and community teams, as well as voluntary agencies and next of kin.
Managing a caseload of patients, ensuring discharge plans are in place and up to date.
Escalating potential discharge delays and ensuring timely discharges each day.
Keeping accurate patient discharge records in both the patient notes and the complex discharge database (APEX).
Collaborating with the MDT to create and monitor realistic discharge plans, making adjustments as needed.
As one of the largest acute teaching Trusts in England, we offer learning and development opportunities to help you achieve the career you aspire to.
Due to the nature of this role and service, this role is on-site and the hours are as advertised. Please talk to us at interview about the flexibility you need, and we will explore what's possible for the role and service. UHS employees are able to access a range of NHS discounts, are entitled to a minimum of 35 days paid holiday (pro rata), and we offer a generous pension scheme.
Southampton is an attractive place to live and work situated on the south coast, with an international airport and direct trains to London. The New Forest National Park and beaches of the Jurassic coast are also right on our doorstep. The city offers living costs 20% lower than London and 14 schools rated outstanding by Ofsted.
General Duties
To assist patients in moving to the Discharge Lounge.
Act as an advocate to patients when appropriate to ensure their discharge is safe and effective.
Ensure plans for transferring patients to community services are progressed with the patient, next of kin, and MDT to facilitate discharge from the hospital once the patient is deemed medically stable.
Act proactively to provide a reduction in length of stay and delayed discharges.
Support the advanced discharge officer, complex discharge Practitioner and the senior managers within the UHS acute discharge hub on all aspects of discharge planning and escalate to them any issues with complex discharge.
Liaise with care agencies and care homes to establish dates for assessments and agree transfer dates; work alongside social services, CCGs and trusted assessors to ensure return to placement and restarts of care packages are completed following policy.
To escalate any delay within the discharge planning process to appropriate team leaders, clinical leaders and service managers. This may include MDT assessments, diagnostics, family, care home delays etc
Liaise with the bed managers to ensure they are aware of all medically fit patients or when discharges are at risk Participate in the weekday, weekend and bank holiday rotas as rostered.
To work in other areas of the Hospital when required.
For additional information, please refer to the job description and person specification.
We highly encourage you to visit us at the Acute Discharge Hub, B Level, West wing entrance near the physiotherapy reception.
Please note, we reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a sufficient number of applications

The Complex Discharge Team at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS) is thrilled to offer a fantastic opportunity for a patient-centered, friendly, and enthusiastic individual to join our growing team.
No prior experience as a Discharge Officer or in a hospital setting? Don't worry - we provide full training! We're looking for individuals with administrative experience in a customer-oriented environment. If you have strong prioritisation skills, can meet deadlines, and manage multiple tasks effectively, this role could be a perfect fit. We encourage you to find out more and apply.