Assistant Discharge Coordinator

Job summary

We are looking for an enthusiastic and organised Assistant Discharge Coordinator to join our dedicated Discharge team at St Martin's Hospital Canterbury, supporting both Younger and Older Adult services.

As a core member of the Patient Flow team, you will help coordinate early and complex discharges to ensure smooth patient journeys, minimise delays, and make effective use of our bed capacity. Working alongside our Discharge Coordinators and the wider Multidisciplinary Team (MDT), you will build strong relationships with internal teams and external agencies to overcome potential barriers to discharge.

If you have a sound understanding of acute inpatient care, strong communication skills, and a proactive approach to problem-solving, we would love to hear from you. We are committed to your growth and will support your professional development through regular supervision, structured training, and ongoing learning opportunities.

The post holder must hold a full, valid, UK driving licence and have access to a car/vehicle to use for business purposes (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).

Main duties of the job

• Contribute actively to local Patient Flow team discussions and discharge planning.

• Collaborate with the MDT to identify discharge barriers early in the patient journey.

• Work compassionately with patients and carers to address discharge challenges, including exploring suitable housing options.

• Represent the Patient Flow team in individual patient review meetings.

• Support bed management operations by participating in a call-handling rota for incoming bed requests.

• The role will involve travelling to non KMMHT hospital sites.

About us

We are Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust. We care for the mental health and wellbeing of people across Kent and Medway and are rated 'Good' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Our teams support children, young people and adults with a wide range of mental health needs. We also provide specialist services, including all-age eating disorder services and neurodevelopmental assessments for children and young people, such as autism and ADHD.

Because we work across the whole county and across hospital and community settings, we can make care more joined up and easier to access for the people we serve.

Our vision is simple: we are here to help communities not just live with mental illness, but live well. It's why we're passionate about working with communities to make mental health care better for everyone. Everything we do is guided by our values: caring, inclusive, curious and confident.

Join us if you share our passion for better mental health care and want to be part of a team that's working well together.

Check out our Canterbury site

Job responsibilities

Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification for further details of the vacancy role

Person specification

Experience

Essential

• Experience in mental health
• Experience of working within a community / hospital setting.

Desirable

• Worked with social services

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• The post holder should have good knowledge around acute inpatient admission and discharge processes
• To have knowledge of the Care Act and its implications for practice
• Undertaking all relevant training and participating in regular management/clinical supervision and annual appraisal.
• Ability to communicate clearly both verbally and in writing.
• Computer literate, able to keep records

Desirable

• Understanding of discharge processes

Training, Qualifications and Registration

Essential

• Commitment to undertake Continuing Personal Development

Desirable

• Working toward or completed NVQ level 2 / 3