Hospital Link Worker Team Leader

Job description

Job responsibilities

About the Hospital Link Worker project

Hospital Link Workers work alongside hospital teams to enable patients to be discharged safely and access the ongoing support they need. Link Workers have a person-centred holistic approach, supporting patients to improve their long-term health and wellbeing. An important part of the Link Worker role is giving people time to talk about what matters to them and supporting them to unpick issues affecting their wellbeing. Link Workers enable people to have more control over their lives, maintain independence, and connect with their community. The work is based within the recently formed Going Home from Hospital Transfer of Care hub within Southmead Hospital.

The purpose of the Hospital Link Worker Team Leader is to lead the team of Link Workers and to support patients who are leaving hospital to settle back into daily life and their community.

Main purpose of job

Provide leadership and support for Link Workers

Liaise with hospital staff and Southern Brooks colleagues to consistently seek to improve the service and expedite hospital discharge.

Be responsible for triaging referrals from hospital teams and clinical professionals.

Be responsible for the day-to-day management of delegating each referral to the appropriate Link Worker.

Directly manage a small caseload.

Line-manage two Link Workers and provide regular supervision and guidance.

Ensure the Link Workers are capturing and collating client data.

Build strategic relationships throughout the hospital to promote the service

Main Duties

Day-to-day management

Triage referrals and delegate to appropriate link worker.

Ensure delivery of the first contact within 48 hours.

Ensure ongoing care delivery by close working with colleagues and monitoring clients feedback and satisfaction.

Line management & Reporting

Manage, lead and mentor the team of Link Workers.

Ensure all Link Workers receive and complete necessary training.

Conduct regular supervision and mentoring to team members.

Motivate and ensure regular and efficient data collation by the team.

Create and collate reports every 3 months.

Manage own small caseload

Meet clients on the ward and quickly build rapport.

Carry out motivational interviewing and person-centred conversations with clients to identify the activities/changes to help them stay well at home.

Support individuals to address barriers to accessing services or maintaining independence. This includes recognising when wider determinants of health are having an impact, for example debt, poor housing, un/underemployment, physical inactivity.

Empower individuals to maximise the control they have over their lives.

Maintain records and databases in line with all operational procedures and data protection legislation.

Produce case studies to evidence the impact of the service on users.

General

Work closely and establish effective working relationships with other professionals (hospital discharge teams, occupational therapists & other professionals) to ensure joined up support to patients.

Promote the Link Worker service throughout Southmead hospital.

Work closely with the manager to constantly improve the service to clients, acting on feedback.

Undertake other duties that may from time to time be reasonably required, e.g. attending community events, assisting with fundraising activities etc.

Comply with all policies and procedures and promote Equal Opportunities, Safeguarding and maintain GDPR compliance.

Attend training, team meetings, internal and external events as required.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Knowledge of and experience in client-working techniques such as motivational
• interviewing and active listening. This includes strength-based, trauma-aware and
• person-centred approaches.

Desirable

• Experience of using databases to record client actions and interventions.
• Experience of working in a hospital or similar setting.
• Knowledge of social prescribing.

Personal Skills & Values

Essential

• Genuine passion, empathy and desire to support clients to lead healthier and happier lives.
• A practical and calm approach to problem solving.
• Flexible and adaptable outlook.

Desirable

• Commitment to reducing health inequalities.
• Promotion of high-quality care with a focus on clients independence &
• wellbeing.

Job Related Skills

Essential

• Ability to use data to create reports.
• Ability to write reports in a dynamic and appealing way.
• Ability to work as part of a team, as well as independently.
• Ability to carry out lone working
• Ability to manage your own workload, identifying priorities for yourself, colleagues and the service.

Desirable

• Active safeguarding understanding and training in vulnerable adults.
• Partnership working - building relationships with, colleagues, stakeholders, and
• other organisations.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills to prioritise work, handle conflicting demands and meet tight deadlines.
• Good IT skills, experienced in the application and use of various software packages
• including MS Office packages and databases.
• Good listening, communication & problem-solving skills.
• Having a creative and flexible approach to work.

Experience

Essential

• Leadership, coaching and management of team members and/or teams.
• At least 3 years experience working with people with health and social needs, or community-based work using a person-centred approach.
• Motivational Interviewing and strengths-based assessment skills.
• An understanding of risk assessment and risk management.
• Ability to understand complex client needs and use a brokerage approach to meet
• these needs.
• Ability to work within a target-driven and time- limited system, dealing with issues pragmatically and through brief interventions.
• Good understanding of health issues and the wider determinants of health and wellbeing

Desirable

• Experience of implementing policies and procedures.
• Knowledge of Equality and Diversity issues.
• Knowledge of brief interventions, behaviour change, motivational change.

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Southernbrooks Community Partnerships

Address

North Bristol Nhs Trust

Southmead Road

Westbury-on-trym

Bristol

BS10 5NB

Employer's website

https://southernbrooks.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)