Job summary
Expected Shortlisting
Date
12/02/2026
Planned Interview
Date
24/02/2026
The
Patient Flow and Discharge Lead plays a pivotal role in ensuring safe,
effective, and timely movement of patients through the hospital system. This
position provides senior clinical leadership to optimise bed utilisation,
reduce delays, and support highquality discharge planning across
multidisciplinary teams. Working closely with ward staff, operational
managers, community partners, and social care, the postholder acts as a key
decisionmaker in coordinating patient journeys from admission to discharge.
Main duties of the job
Leading
daily patient flow coordination: Overseeing bed management, escalation
processes, and realtime capacity monitoring to maintain safe patient flow.
Driving
safe and timely discharge planning: Ensuring discharge pathways are
identified early, barriers are removed, and patients receive appropriate
onward care.
Providing
senior clinical leadership: Supporting nursing teams with complex discharge
decisions, risk assessments, and clinical prioritisation.
Collaborating
across multidisciplinary teams: Working with medical teams, therapists,
social workers, and community services to streamline patient journeys.
Monitoring
performance and quality metrics: Using data to identify delays, improve
processes, and contribute to operational planning.
Supporting
escalation and site management: Acting as a key contact during periods of
high demand, contributing to site meetings and operational decisionmaking.
Championing
patientcentred care: Ensuring patients and families are informed, involved,
and supported throughout the discharge process.
About us
Our
values are part of what make us different from other trusts, so we see this
as a strength, as well as a responsibility. They have been developed by our
staff and set out what they see as important to how we work. Our five values
are: Patient-centred, Collaborative, Fair, Accountable, Empowered. All our
actions and endeavours will be guided and evaluated through these values.
Additionally, the following are core values which relate specifically to this
post:
Commitment
to support, uphold and demonstrate the core values and behaviours of LTHT
Commitment
to delivering high quality compassionate evidence based care, in accordance
with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT) policies and guidelines
Commitment
to working in a multi-disciplinary team
Commitment
to the clinical area, valuing the contribution of all team members,
encouraging a positive and creative working environment.
Leeds
Teaching Hospitals is committed to our process of redeploying 'at risk'
members of our existing workforce to new roles. As such, all our job adverts
are subject to this policy and we reserve the right to close, delay or remove
adverts while this process is completed. If you do experience a delay in the
shortlisting stage of the recruitment cycle, please bear with us while this
process is completed, and contact the named contact if you have any
questions.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The
Patient Flow and Discharge Lead is responsible for coordinating safe,
effective, and timely patient movement throughout the hospital. The
postholder provides senior clinical leadership to optimise bed utilisation,
reduce delays, and ensure highquality discharge planning. Working
collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams, they support operational
decisionmaking and champion patientcentred care across all pathways.
To
have responsibility for facilitating, enabling and supporting
interdisciplinary decision making in order to achieve optimal patient flows
and utilisation of available resources across all relevant hospital sites.
To
actively manage patient flows by designing, implementing and maintaining
processes that safely expedite patient placement and discharge.
The
jobholder is responsible for the timely and appropriate placement of patients
requiring admission to the Trusts bed base and for the escalation procedure
from A&E.
The
jobholder is responsible for facilitating timely elective and acute
admissions to appropriate areas and to facilitate the timely discharge and
admission of patients from critical care to the ward areas.
Ensuring
early identification of discharge needs and supporting wards to plan
proactively.
Facilitating
complex discharges, working with social care, community teams, and external
partners.
Removing
barriers to discharge by coordinating actions across clinical and
nonclinical teams.
Promoting
safe, patientcentred discharge processes aligned with national guidance and
local pathways.
The
jobholder will manage a team of Band 3 and Band 4 Discharge and Patient Flow
Co-ordinators with the support of the Senior Patient Flow and Discharge
Sister.
The
jobholder will act as a role model for high standards and provide expert
clinical advice to support decision making around patient flow and discharge.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The
Patient Flow and Discharge Lead is responsible for coordinating safe,
effective, and timely patient movement throughout the hospital. The
postholder provides senior clinical leadership to optimise bed utilisation,
reduce delays, and ensure highquality discharge planning. Working
collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams, they support operational
decisionmaking and champion patientcentred care across all pathways.
To
have responsibility for facilitating, enabling and supporting
interdisciplinary decision making in order to achieve optimal patient flows
and utilisation of available resources across all relevant hospital sites.
To
actively manage patient flows by designing, implementing and maintaining
processes that safely expedite patient placement and discharge.
The
jobholder is responsible for the timely and appropriate placement of patients
requiring admission to the Trusts bed base and for the escalation procedure
from A&E.
The
jobholder is responsible for facilitating timely elective and acute
admissions to appropriate areas and to facilitate the timely discharge and
admission of patients from critical care to the ward areas.
Ensuring
early identification of discharge needs and supporting wards to plan
proactively.
Facilitating
complex discharges, working with social care, community teams, and external
partners.
Removing
barriers to discharge by coordinating actions across clinical and
nonclinical teams.
Promoting
safe, patientcentred discharge processes aligned with national guidance and
local pathways.
The
jobholder will manage a team of Band 3 and Band 4 Discharge and Patient Flow
Co-ordinators with the support of the Senior Patient Flow and Discharge
Sister.
The
jobholder will act as a role model for high standards and provide expert
clinical advice to support decision making around patient flow and discharge.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Significant Post registration experience at Staff Nurse level or equivalent
- Staff Management
- Change Management
Desirable
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Nurse (Level 1) or Equivalent
- Degree
Skills & Behaviours
Essential
- Influencing and Negotiation
- Excellent written and verbal communication
- Organisation and prioritising workload
Desirable
- Conflict Management
- Team working
- Problem Solving
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Significant Post registration experience at Staff Nurse level or equivalent
- Staff Management
- Change Management
Desirable
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Nurse (Level 1) or Equivalent
- Degree
Skills & Behaviours
Essential
- Influencing and Negotiation
- Excellent written and verbal communication
- Organisation and prioritising workload
Desirable
- Conflict Management
- Team working
- Problem Solving
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).
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).
