Job Summary
This post will be based in the Discharge team.
Calderdale and Huddersfield Foundation Trust (CHFT) are implementing the Home First Model for patient care. This utilises the principles of discharge to assess which aims to ensure that patients who are medically optimised and no longer need a hospital bed, can leave hospital, and have their assessment in the most suitable setting. The Therapy Discharge Practitioner role is pivotal in shaping these services and asking the question “why not home and why not today?”
The post holder will provide a single point of contact for patients, families, carers and associated people and co-ordinate/contribute to the safe and timely hospital discharge in partnership with other multi-disciplinary colleagues/agencies. The post holder will be supported to develop therapy skills through competency training such as walking aid assessment and assessing for basic equipment.
This post will work over a 7 day service and therefore the post holder may be required to work weekends and bank holidays on a rota basis.
This will be 2 permanent positions and 1 Secondment for 12 months
Main duties of the job
The post holder will maintain momentum of discharge planning throughout the entire process; supporting and working in partnership with other members of the MDT. The post holder will act as a Trusted Assessor for health and social care pathways and will complete relevant referral pathway documentation, such as Trusted Assessor forms.
The postholder will have a more in-depth education and understanding about factors that influence health and ill-health and knowledge of the wider health and social care network of services available to support patients. for example anatomy and physiology. Your work at this level will require enhanced skills which may be within a specialist clinical area. This includes tasks such as assessing for appropriate walking aids or assessing if equipment is required to support transfers for instance (this is not an exhaustive list and will depend on the area that you work as to what activities are completed regularly and what is appropriate). These assessments will also lead to you ordering equipment for patients to support their needs based on the assessments you have carried out. You will be supported to develop these skills through competency training.
The post holder may undertake lone working (sometimes within a patients own home) in line with Trust Policy.
Person Specification
Qualifications/training
Essential
- 5 GCSEs including Maths and English (grades 9-4 or A*, A, B, C) or equivalent level 2 qualification(s). Equivalent working experience in a relevant role will also be considered.
- Level 5 Apprenticeship/ will complete when in post
- Band 4 Calderdale Framework Competencies completed/ Will complete when in post
- Willingness to participate in competency based training around rehabilitation and health and social care assessment.
Desirable
- A-Levels or Health and Science A-Level or equivalent level 3 qualifications
- Foundation degree Health and Social Care
- Care Certificate
- Previous competency-based training in a relevant field.
Knowledge, Experience, Expertise
Essential
- An understanding of the needs and issues concerning illness and disability.
- Recent experience of working in a health and social care setting.
- Previous experience working in a multidisciplinary team in health, social care or education.
- An understanding of the concept of recovery from a period of being unwell, disability and the effects that some common long term conditions can have on a patients health and wellbeing.
- Basic computer skills.
Desirable
- Experience of working in hospital, patients’ homes and other community settings
- Experience of teaching and instructing/basic counselling skills.
- Experience of completing needs based assessment with service users or carers resulting in provision of services.
- Experience of completing care plans.
- Experience of working with service users with life limiting conditions.
- Experience or working with people at challenging times in their lives
- An ability to work independently and make appropriate decisions, seeking help appropriately, particularly in unforeseen circumstances.
- An understanding of enabling a person to learn or re-learn skills.
- An understanding of the issues when working in a service users’ own homes.
- Understanding and knowledge of equipment that is regularly used to support discharge.
- Understanding of wider inter-agency issues.
- Knowledge of legislation and policy that has shaped current health and social care provision.
- Knowledge of current community based resources that can support people to live well at home
Communication and Relationships
Essential
- Demonstrates positive attitudes and behaviours.
- Works well in a team.
- Able to work independently with service users without direct supervision.
- Able to use initiative and be aware of limitations.
- Problem solving/decision making skills based on patient’s needs.
- Ability to deal sensitively with distressing, emotional situations.
- Good communication skills.
- Ability to relate to others and adapt approach accordingly.
- Able to motivate others.
- Awareness of cultural issues and valuing diversity.
- Organisational skills to manage time and caseload and to actively participate in the workload management of the team.
- Able to use own initiative.
- Able to fulfil the health requirements of the post as identified in the Job Description, taking into account any reasonable adjustments recommended by Occupational Health.
- Must be eligible to work in the UK.
- Ability to work in various locations throughout the network of services provided by Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust
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).
Closing Date: 14 January 2026
