Discharge CoordinatorNHS

Job summary

The role of the Discharge Liaison Practitioner is to support Ward Sisters in delivering a high-quality, patient-focused experience by providing flexible, reliable administrative and operational support. This includes assisting nursing teams in maintaining accurate discharge records and ensuring that discharge processes are safe, effective, and completed in a timely manner, thereby supporting the reduction of patient length of stay.

The role requires excellent interpersonal, communication and organisational skills, with the ability to work collaboratively across multidisciplinary teams. The Discharge Liaison Practitioner will support Ward Sisters in maintaining effective relationships with key stakeholders, including senior staff, medical and nursing teams, allied health professionals, patients and their families, as well as social services and primary care providers.

Main duties of the job

The Discharge Coordinator will play a key role in facilitating safe, effective and timely patient discharge, with a clear focus on reducing avoidable delays and length of stay. The post holder will work proactively with the multidisciplinary team, including ward staff, discharge lounge, Site Practitioners, allied health professionals, and external partners such as Social Services, Primary Care and GPs, to ensure robust and co-ordinated discharge planning from admission through to discharge.

The post holder will ensure that patient journey boards/whiteboards are consistently accurate and up to date, proactively identifying and escalating any potential delays that may impact discharge pathways. They will take ownership of monitoring discharge progress, supporting early identification of barriers and driving actions to mitigate delays.

In supporting the effective running of the ward, the Discharge Coordinator will undertake key administrative and coordination tasks that directly contribute to safe and timely discharge. This includes completing and maintaining discharge planning documentation, liaising with external agencies, coordinating with families and carers, arranging transport, and working closely with therapy teams such as occupational therapy and physiotherapy to ensure all discharge requirements are met without delay.

Job description

Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification for further information on the key responsibilities and person requirements for this role.

About us

London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust (LNWH) cares for the people of Brent, Ealing, Harrow and beyond.

Our team of more than 8,200 clinical and support staff serve a diverse population of almost one million people.

We run major acute services at:

• Northwick Park Hospital: home to one of the busiest emergency departments (A&E) in the country. The hospital provides a full range of services including the country's top-rated hyper-acute stroke unit and one of only three hyper-acute rehabilitation units in the UK
• St Mark's Hospital: an internationally renowned specialist centre for bowel disease
• Ealing Hospital: a busy district general hospital providing a range of clinical services, as well as 24/7 emergency department and urgent care centre, and specialist care at Meadow House Hospice
• Central Middlesex Hospital: our planned care site, hosting a range of surgical and outpatient services and collocated with an urgent care centre.

We are a university teaching NHS trust, in recognition of the important role we play in training clinicians of the future and bringing the benefits of research to the public.