Job summary
The Inpatient Social Worker role requires excellent interpersonal and leadership skills to support the Acute Mental Health Service Line with discharge coordination, navigational worker, Senior support workers and other clinicians within an MDT. The post holder will direct efforts on behalf of individual patients at heightened risk of ongoing stay on an acute ward once clinically ready for discharge.
The purpose of a Social Worker in Adult Social Care is to complete assessments including Care Act 2014 and enhance eligible people's well-being. In addition to abiding by the practice standards set down by Social Work England (SWE), Social Workers need to apply a wide range of knowledge and skills to understand and build relationships, and work directly with individuals, their families, and carers in a strengths-based way, to enable and empower them to achieve best outcomes.
They will work closely with both Acute Mental Health Units in identifying all barriers to allow for discharge planning upon admission in a manner that is implemented in a least restrictive process manner.
The post holder will work closely with their inpatient colleagues, community teams, voluntary sectors, housing and substance misuse services. The role will include working within statutory frameworks to undertake assessments, plan care and support the best use of available resources to enable people to have better standard of life.
Main duties of the job
To work within the regulation of the Care Act 2014 and other relevant statutory frameworks.
- To apply Social Work principles and values to professional practice and to emulate our corporate values in all interactions with patients, colleagues, and partners.
- To effectively manage a reasonable caseload appropriate to the level of experience and to maintain adequate throughput of work. To discuss any challenges with caseload management with your line manager in a timely way to access any necessary support with prioritisation.
- To provide support and expert advice on social care to social assessors, students, and partners.
- To be professionally curious when undertaking effective assessments of individual and carer needs and risks within statutory frameworks, using a strengths-based, person-centred approach to ensure they are focused on outcomes. This includes promoting a holistic, multi-agency approach by developing and maintaining collaborative working relationships.
About us
West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse providers of mental health, community and social care in the UK.
Our 3,982 staff care for people in hospital and in the community, helping them to recover and go on to lead full and productive lives. We aim to be the best organisation of our kind in the country.
We provide care and treatment for more than 800,000 people living in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow, delivering services in the community (at home, in GP surgeries and care homes), hospital, specialist clinics and forensic (secure) units.
We're rated good overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Together, we're committed to promoting hope and wellbeing, working with patients, service users, carers, families and partners across the communities we serve.
We are keen to ensure that our workforce reflects the community it serves, particularly in terms of ethnicity, gender, disability, LGBTQ+ and experience of mental illness.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Key Result Areas & Performance:
Admission Stage
Work with the team manager to establish barriers to discharge and create links with the MDT, patient and care coordinator.
Daily meeting to discuss all new admissions and start discharge planning
Treatment / Review Stages
Attend ward reviews, S117 meetings and face to face meeting with patients and carers where critical decisions are made in relation to cases assigned in order to facilitate timely discharge.
Promote, participate and support the patients in MDT reviews
Consider and support practical tasks to overcome barriers to discharge in collaboration with the inpatient MDT and community team.
Approach to Discharge
Resolve arising barriers to discharge i.e. keys, other agency support to discharge.
Ensure early liaison with the Recovery/MINT teams, CATT and the local authority to allow for adequate post-discharge support upon admission.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Key Result Areas & Performance:
Admission Stage
Work with the team manager to establish barriers to discharge and create links with the MDT, patient and care coordinator.
Daily meeting to discuss all new admissions and start discharge planning
Treatment / Review Stages
Attend ward reviews, S117 meetings and face to face meeting with patients and carers where critical decisions are made in relation to cases assigned in order to facilitate timely discharge.
Promote, participate and support the patients in MDT reviews
Consider and support practical tasks to overcome barriers to discharge in collaboration with the inpatient MDT and community team.
Approach to Discharge
Resolve arising barriers to discharge i.e. keys, other agency support to discharge.
Ensure early liaison with the Recovery/MINT teams, CATT and the local authority to allow for adequate post-discharge support upon admission.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- A relevant professional qualification in social work and current registration with Social Work England.
- Evidence of successfully passing the ASYE programme or be able to demonstrate capabilities and knowledge at that level
- Knowledge of Social Work Professional Standards
- Knowledge and practical understanding of relevant adult social care and health legislation, practice guidance and policies, including that relating to safeguarding adults
Desirable
Experience
Essential
- Demonstrable experience of working at Band 5 or equivalent for 2 years
- Experience of conducting effective assessments including of risk.
- Experience of developing care and support plans that deliver personalised, integrated care and support that helps people to maintain their independence and attain the outcomes they want
Desirable
- Experience of implementing and monitoring standards of care, including clinical audit and governance
- Experience of using and supervising others in the use of psychosocial interventions
- Experience of implementing changes in working practices
Knowledge
Essential
- Sound knowledge and skills in risk assessment
- Knowledge of safeguarding policies and procedures
- Clear understanding of the process of Supervision
Desirable
- Appreciation of the ward/team manager's role and how to balance clinical and non-clinical responsibilities
- Knowledge of Recovery Model of care
- Ability to work within a Team
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- A relevant professional qualification in social work and current registration with Social Work England.
- Evidence of successfully passing the ASYE programme or be able to demonstrate capabilities and knowledge at that level
- Knowledge of Social Work Professional Standards
- Knowledge and practical understanding of relevant adult social care and health legislation, practice guidance and policies, including that relating to safeguarding adults
Desirable
Experience
Essential
- Demonstrable experience of working at Band 5 or equivalent for 2 years
- Experience of conducting effective assessments including of risk.
- Experience of developing care and support plans that deliver personalised, integrated care and support that helps people to maintain their independence and attain the outcomes they want
Desirable
- Experience of implementing and monitoring standards of care, including clinical audit and governance
- Experience of using and supervising others in the use of psychosocial interventions
- Experience of implementing changes in working practices
Knowledge
Essential
- Sound knowledge and skills in risk assessment
- Knowledge of safeguarding policies and procedures
- Clear understanding of the process of Supervision
Desirable
- Appreciation of the ward/team manager's role and how to balance clinical and non-clinical responsibilities
- Knowledge of Recovery Model of care
- Ability to work within a Team
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.
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).
Additional information
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.
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).
