Exciting Opportunity to join the newly developed and evolving MSE Discharge to Assess (D2A) team at Southend University Hospital. The teams will support patients across Southend and South East Essex.

The aim of the service is to create a smooth pathway from the acute hospital into the community by assessing the patient's therapy and care needs in their own home. This means that patients no longer need to wait in hospital for these specific assessments which will reduce delays discharges, improving patient flow, and allow patients to go home earlier.

The team is based at Southend University Hospital and provides an in-reach service to the acute Trust and post-discharge early intervention in patients homes. This approach still requires therapists in the hospital to identify immediate needs for a safe transfer to D2A, but it moves OT and PT assessments into patient's homes for timely provision of services.

The team fosters a supportive environment that seeks to develop therapists and provide them with the skills to work within the new D2A model in the home environment.

*** Due to the nature of this role the successful candidate will be required to be a car driver with access to a car for work purposes ***

Main duties of the job

Benefits of this model have been:

• Assessment now takes place within an environment familiar to the patient, it is 'context specific' and the patient's immediate and longer-term needs can be more appropriately evaluated in their own home.
• Issues which may have been developing for some time which precipitated an acute admission will be assessed and plans put in place while the patient is still able to be at home.
• Patients and their relatives have reported increased satisfaction with the additional support they now receive on discharge.
• Removal of unnecessary steps, improved processes and delays in the discharge process which consume valuable resources and do not add value for the patient.
• A reduction in length of stay in hospital.
• A reduction in the risk associated with vulnerable patients remaining in a hospital environment.
• Increased discharge rates on the ward where this process is now fully implemented.
• Freeing up hospital beds and reducing medical outliers.
• Increasing patient flow through the hospital.

About us

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is now one of the largest in the country, with a workforce of approximately 15,000 who serve a population of 1.2 million people.

We work together, and in conjunction with MSE Health and Care Partnership, to deliver excellent local and specialist services, to improve the health and wellbeing of our patients in a compassionate way, and provide a respectful, but vibrant place for staff to develop, innovate and build careers.

From facilities through to consultant specialists we want to be the best, to achieve this we need to recruit not just those who are the finest in their field but also those who have the potential to be. Yes, experience is important but so is outlook - if you are dynamic, forward-thinking and enthusiastic we want you to join us.

We not only offer you a good working environment with flexible working opportunities, but also the opportunity to develop your career with access to appropriate training for your job and the support to succeed and progress

Job description

Job responsibilities

For full details about this varied and rewarding role, please see attached job description, but some of the responsibilities include:

• Establish and maintain excellent communication with individuals, groups and organisations, exploring complex issues relating to care options and decisions and sustain effective working relationships across all health, social care service and third sector organisations
• Undertake rapid/comprehensive assessments of patients with diverse or complex medical presentations and multi-pathologies using analysis, clinical reasoning skills, manual handling
• Contributing to the multi-disciplinary decision-making process to rapidly determine suitable discharge destinations, ongoing care needs and rehabilitation goals.
• Good awareness of limitations of own knowledge and skills and when to escalate to senior clinicians.
• The assessment of equipment for functional needs
• To undertake complex mobility assessments and provide appropriate walking aid.
• Early post discharge assessments and determination of functional needs for level of care and promote independence at home.

The post may involve weekend and bank holiday working as part of a rota.

Person Specification

Qualifications & Experience

Essential

• BSc or equivalent
• HCPC
• Experience of working in a community and / or acute setting
• Experience working with a broad range of conditions

Desirable

• Relevant post grad courses
• Supervision of junior staff

Skills

Essential

• Good communication skills
• Competent IT Skills
• Car driver

Employer details

Employer name

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Southend

Prittlewell Chase

Westcliff-On-Sea

SS0 0RY

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

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