Detailed job description and main responsibilities

CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• To assist ward staff with simple discharges ensuring all patient needs are identified and met.
• To support and promote a proactive approach towards discharge management throughout the Trust
• Attend regular board rounds on your allocated wards and keep updated with current issues around the trust.
• To liaise with other hospitals to transfer patients who require a community bed, in accordance with the trust policies and procedures.
• To keep updated electronic records of referrals and potential transfers to the rehabilitation community hospitals, as agreed in the community transfer policy on a daily basis, ensuring efficient utilisation of community beds
• To coordinate with the Ward Managers and Matrons in supporting the ward staff in initiating early discharges and to encourage staff to be proactive about discharges.
• To share information with Bed and Site team re potential discharges/ transfers.
• To ensure good working relationships between:

• To work closely with multi-disciplinary teams to standardise good practice throughout the Trust in accordance with the Discharge Policy.
• To communicate with all members of the multidisciplinary team when a concern is raised regarding a patients discharge, escalating to the Discharge Coordinator as necessary.
• To link with the health care professionals, patients and carers to ensure appropriate standards of care and communication are met
• Liaise with the social services department regarding packages of care and placement for patients, ready for discharge as required.
• Ensure good communication with Patient/Carers/Relatives about plans for discharge and on an agreed date as necessary.
• To develop good working relationships with medical teams so that discharge summaries and Tablets to Take Away (TTA’s) are completed in a timely fashion.

RESPONSIBILITY FOR PATIENTS

• To communicate with the health care professionals, patients and carers to ensure appropriate standards of care and communication are met
• To provide support to nursing staff in all matters pertaining to discharge planning and managing processes the day before patient discharge
• To assist the multidisciplinary team in diffusing difficult situations when discharge plans become complex or in conflict with the next of kin / significant others and escalate to an appropriate senior.
• Ensuring adequate escalation to the Complex Discharge team where necessary
• To share information with Bed and Site Managers re potential discharge / transfers throughout the day
• To work closely with the discharge lounge staff to ensure all appropriate patients are transferred to the discharge lounge early in the day.
• To work closely with Complex Discharge team and multi-disciplinary teams to standardise good practice throughout the Trust in accordance with the Discharge Policy
• To provide support to nursing staff in all matters pertaining to discharge planning
• To coordinate with the health care professionals, patients and carers to ensure appropriate standards of care and communication are met
• To make decisions about patient care in liaison with all other health professionals, in relation to discharges

RESPONSIBILITY FOR POLICY AND SERVICE DEVELOPMENT

• To ensure that own development is in line with new Trust initiatives
• To work with the Matron for Discharge, Complex discharge team, Clinical Operations Manager and Operational Teams in participating in auditing and action results and assist in writing policies and procedures relating to discharge
• To help develop new documentation and update old documentation as the need arises with the Matron for discharge and Clinical Operations manager as required. Participate in the implementation of new policies and procedures.
• To support education in all disciplines in the use of the Discharge Policy / Multidisciplinary documentation and best practices.
• To promote timely discharges before lunch where possible in accordance with home for lunch

RESPONSIBILITY FOR FINANCIAL AND PHYSICAL RESOURCES

• To ensure good working relationships between the Trust and transport services.
• To support the Complex Discharge team in ensuring that ward staff understand the discharge process by providing teaching and support at ward level and highlighting to team any patients they need to support
• To be responsible with the Hospital Director in establishing methods of data collection as required by local, regional and national colleagues to measure performance

• RESPONSIBILITY FOR LEADING AND MANAGING
  • To promote an early in the day discharge mind-set amongst ward staff for all patients.
  • To support the training and supervision of new members of staff into the department.
  • To act as a mentor to staff for discharge planning.
  • To support the review of the Royal Free Foundation Trust Discharge Policy and Multidisciplinary documentation annually with health care professionals within the Trust.
  • To coordinate and promote a proactive approach towards discharge management throughout the Trust.
  • To act as an advocate for the Trust on all matters pertaining to discharge planning, promoting the effectiveness of the Trusts discharge planning process to all external agencies.
  • To link closely with Multi-Disciplinary teams to standardise good practice throughout the Trust in accordance with the Discharge Policy
  • To support education to all disciplines in the use of the Discharge Policy / Multidisciplinary documentation and best practices
  • To provide leadership and support to staff in all matters pertaining to discharge planning
  • To support and advise nursing staff as required with planning discharges at ward level and attend board rounds.
  • To liaise with all members of the multidisciplinary team when a concern is raised regarding a patients discharge, escalating to the Complex Discharge team as required.
  • To ensure own skill and knowledge in the use of the EPRM (electronic patient record management) system.

  RESPONSIBILITY FOR INFORMATION RESOURCES

  • Ensure that ward staff understand the discharge process by supporting the Complex Discharge team in teaching and support at ward level.
  • To be responsible with the Hospital director for establishing methods of data collection as required by local, regional and national colleagues to measure performance
  • Attend or complete e learning for all Statutory and mandatory training as per Trust policy.

• Attend regular board rounds and keep updated with current issues around the trust.

RESPONSIBILITY FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

• Attend meetings, lead and undertake project work as directed, establish pathways for effective dissemination of results.
• To work with the Hospital Director, participating in auditing and actioning results, writing relevant policies and procedures within the department
• To participate in the update of existing policies and related documentation and contribute towards the development and implementation of new policies in their related field. To ensure adoption of all policies and procedures across the organisation