About this role
Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Acute Social Care Team at West London NHS Trust.
We are looking to recruit Navigational Support Workers with strong interpersonal skills, solution-focused thinking, and a passion for supporting safe and timely patient discharges. This role is pivotal in providing discharge coordination and social care navigation for individuals in acute inpatient mental health settings.
You will be aligned with one of the three boroughs served by the Trust and will play a vital role in overcoming barriers to discharge, empowering individuals to transition safely from hospital to home, and ensuring their continued support in the community.
This is a unique opportunity to develop skills across social care, housing, and mental health discharge planning. You will gain experience in working collaboratively across borough-based teams and community services while directly impacting the quality and timeliness of patient discharges.
Please note: This is a 6-month fixed-term post due to current funding arrangements.
Main duties of the job
Key Responsibilities
- Work with individuals allocated by Acute Social Care Team colleagues following initial screening and identification of discharge barriers. Attend weekly borough-based meetings, ward reviews and relevant multidisciplinary team meetings to support discharge planning.
- Provide practical support with benefits, debt and financial matters, housing, community appointments and home visits. Prioritise actions that remove discharge barriers, applying knowledge of housing legislation, No Recourse to Public Funds, section 117 of the Mental Health Act and the Mental Capacity Act.
- Work on inpatient wards with a defined borough caseload, within Local Services Patient Flow, and liaise with community mental health teams, local authorities and other agencies to support effective discharge.
Attend relevant ad hoc meetings with the multidisciplinary team, ward managers, unit coordinators and senior nursing staff where appropriate.
About us
Provide navigational support and discharge coordination for patients on acute mental health wards, following initial screening by the Acute Social Care Team.
Work closely with community organisations, local authorities, families and carers, housing departments, benefits agencies, and third-sector services to facilitate smooth and timely discharges.
Adopt a targeted, solution-focused approach to remove obstacles and improve patient flow, ensuring maximum independence and personalised support for each individual.
Attend weekly borough-based meetings and contribute to multidisciplinary team (MDT) discussions, gaining a complete understanding of patient pathways and discharge barriers.
Offer direct support to patients with financial matters, including advice on benefits, debt management, and accessing additional financial support services.
Conduct home visits to assess discharge readiness and living conditions, support patients with community tasks such as attending Job Centre appointments or managing banking and ID requirements.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached
The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to GCSE or equivalent
- Experience of working in housing, mental health, substance misuse team and having an understanding of outreach and community working.
- Understanding and up to date knowledge of social care policies, including benefit and financial support systems.
- Experienced in using a variety of IT recording systems, including RIO.
Desirable
- Educated to A level or higher level of further education
Experience
Essential
- Experience as a support worker
- Working knowledge of social service agencies and community services
- Good communication, interpersonal, and listening skills.
- Strong analytical, mediating, and negotiation skills.
- Excellent organisational and case management skills.
- Sensitive to different cultures and socioeconomic conditions
Desirable
- Experience joint working with a multiagency environment
- Involvement in research and clinical audit
Knowledge
Essential
- Mental health diagnoses/presentations
- Ability to articulate and apply relevant experience to mental health setting
- Core skills of housing and social care process
- Clinical and environmental risk
- Equality and diversity
- Understanding of team dynamics
- Awareness of need to work within appropriate boundaries
- Principles of clinical governance
- Lone working
Desirable
- Evidence of training in Mental Health
- Relevant current legislation, NICE guidelines, CPA, risk assessment and risk management
Skills
Essential
- Organisational ability
- Effective written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to build rapport with service users, carers and colleagues
- Evidence of ability in Care Act Assessment, treatment planning, intervention and evaluation.
- Use of standardised assessment tools and outcome measures
- Ability to work independently and under supervision as part of a team
- Group work skills Computer literacy
Desirable
- Ability to apply (research) evidence-based practice
- Ability to reflect and critically appraise others performance
- Contribution to service development and the training of others
- Ability to reflect and critically appraise own performance
Other Requirements
Essential
- Ability to reflect, identify and take responsibility for continuing professional development needs
- Understand the need for and actively participates in own supervision and constructive use of feedback
- High levels of initiative, innovation and self-motivation
- Commitment to client-centred, non-discriminatory practice
Desirable
- Able to demonstrate a strong professional identity
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details
Employer name
West London NHS Trust
Address
H and F Mental Health Unit, Discharge Coordinators
Claybrook Road
Hammersmith
W6 8NF
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.westlondon.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)