Job summary
Please note this role is currently only being advertised to staff members who are currently working within the Kent and Medway ICS
The post holder will be a highly motivated, enthusiastic, and experienced professional with a strong background in discharge planning, patient flow, and pathway coordination. They will play a pivotal role in supporting the effective and timely discharge of patients with complex health and social care needs, ensuring safe transitions of care and promoting positive patient outcomes.
The successful candidate will demonstrate exceptional leadership, problem-solving, and communication skills, thriving in a fast-paced and continually evolving environment. They will work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams, community services, social care partners, and external agencies to facilitate integrated discharge planning and minimise delays across the patient journey.
As a visible and influential leader, the post holder will act as a role model for the Transfer of Care Team, supporting service development, quality improvement, and the achievement of local and national performance targets.
Main duties of the job
- Provide operational and clinical leadership to the Transfer of Care Team, supporting the delivery of high-quality discharge planning services.
- Support patients, families, carers, and ward teams in facilitating safe, effective, and timely discharges, particularly for individuals with complex health and social care needs.
- Take responsibility for managing complex discharge pathways within designated clinical areas, proactively identifying and resolving barriers to discharge.
- Support clinical teams in developing discharge planning knowledge and skills to ensure patients receive appropriate care and support on discharge.
- Lead the implementation of the Patient Choice Policy in relation to delayed discharges and complex care arrangements.
- Monitor patient pathways and identify delays in diagnostics, referrals, assessments, and care provision, escalating concerns appropriately.
- Promote effective communication and collaborative working between multidisciplinary teams, community providers, social care colleagues, patients, and families.
- Support the Trust in achieving national and local discharge, flow, and performance targets.
- Ensure safeguarding concerns are identified, escalated, and managed in accordance with Trust policies and statutory requirements.
Details
- Date posted: 02 November 2026
- Closing date: 09 November 2026
- Pay scheme: Agenda for change
- Band: Band 7
- Salary: £49,387 to £56,515 a year per annum pro rata
- Contract: Permanent
- Working pattern: Full-time
- Reference number: 359-8347338-T3
- Job locations: Tunbridge wells, Tunbridge wells, TN2 4QJ, United Kingdom
Job description
Job responsibilities
Weve provided all the details you need about this role in the job description and person specification. Please take a moment to review the criteria in the person specification and share specific examples in your application that demonstrate how you meet these requirements. Please also check your application for errors/omissions prior to submission.
Please note that appointment to this post will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Check at Enhanced Level. (Enhanced level now includes regulated checks against vulnerable adults and children). If a role involves regulated activity and requires a DBS check with a barred list check, you cannot apply if you are on the barred list.
All successful applicants will be required to complete our corporate trust induction once a start date has been agreed.
Following your corporate induction, you will be expected to attend the Trusts Induction Programme for RNs, NAs, RMs, ODPs and Paramedics. The programme is full-time (please email [email protected] if this is problematic) and will involve travel to both Trust sites. The programme includes supernumerary shifts in the clinical area, classroom-based sessions and e-learning.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- oRegistered Nurse, Allied Health Professional, or equivalent registered healthcare professional
- oExperience of working within the discharge field, knowledge of community services and social care.
Desirable
- oExperience of working as a senior team member.
Experience/ Knowledge
Essential
- A good understanding of the importance of discharge planning and the discharge process and a good knowledge base of welfare and benefits rights, overseas patients, homeless patients
- oProven ability to develop effective partnerships to achieve practical outcomes across organisational boundaries including statutory organisations, external agencies, community and voluntary organisations
- o Supporting others (mentor / educator / supervisor ) experience
Desirable
- oEvidence of innovation in previous roles
Skills
Essential
- oExcellent and effective communication skills, written and oral.
- oAbility to work efficiently on a multidisciplinary basis both internal and external to the organisation
- oExperience of resolving complex discharges
Desirable
- oTeaching and presentation skills.
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).
About us
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust ranks among the top 10 NHS Trusts nationwide and was named the second-best Trust to work for in the South East in the 2023 and 2024 NHS Staff Survey.
We are a large acute hospital trust in south-east England, providing general hospital services and specialist care to around 600,000 residents in West Kent and East Sussex. With a dedicated and diverse team of over 8,000 staff we are proud to offer specialised cancer services to over two million people through the Kent Oncology Centre.
Fordcombe Hospital, near Tunbridge Wells, became part of the Trust in October 2024. Specialising in planned care, it offers two operating theatres, 28 inpatient and day-care beds, diagnostic services (X-ray, MRI, CT, and endoscopy), and consultation/treatment rooms.
Looking for flexible working?We are a flexible working-friendly organisation. Whether it's adjusting your hours or exploring other flexible arrangements, we want to work with you to find the best solution for you, our patients, and the Trust. Talk to us about how we can accommodate your working needs.
Click here to hear what our staff say.
Joining us includes a comprehensive benefits package:
- At least 27 days of annual leave plus public/bank holidays (pro-rata for part-time staff).
- Membership in the NHS Pension Scheme, with a employer contribution of 23.7% and life assurance benefits
- Blue Light card eligibility
And more, additional benefits can be found in the benefits documents below
Employer details
- Employer name: Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
- Address: Tunbridge wells, Tunbridge wells, TN2 4QJ, United Kingdom
- Employer's website: https://www.mtw.nhs.uk/