Paediatric Patient Flow & Complex Discharge Coordinator

Job summary

This is an exciting opportunity to take on a central role in supporting the effective flow and discharge of children and young people across paediatric critical care services at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and across the wider Paediatric Critical Care Operational Delivery Network.

Working across the Trust, the BOB Integrated Care System, and regional networks, you will coordinate patient pathways to ensure safe, timely transitions between services, including step-down care, repatriation, and discharge home. A key focus of the role is managing complex and long-stay discharges, working closely with multidisciplinary teams, community services, and external partners to achieve the best outcomes for patients and families.

You will act as a consistent point of contact throughout the patient journey, helping to maintain clear communication and well-coordinated plans, particularly in more complex or sensitive situations. Alongside this, you will contribute to improving patient flow processes and discharge pathways, supporting service development and quality improvement initiatives.

We are looking for a proactive and organised paediatric nurse with experience in complex care and strong communication skills. This role would suit someone who enjoys collaborative working, problem solving, and making a practical difference to patient experience across the whole system.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will lead, coordinate, and optimise patient flow and discharge pathways for children and young people across OUHFT, the BOB Integrated Care System (ICS) and the Thames Valley & Wessex Paediatric Critical Care Operational Delivery Network (TVW PCC ODN).

They will support safe, timely transitions between Paediatric Critical Care (PCC) Levels 1, 2, and 3, neonatal to paediatric care, and paediatric to adult services. The role includes responsibility for managing complex and long-stay discharges, working across organisational boundaries, and providing expert clinical leadership to improve experience, safety, and continuity of care for children, young people, and families.

The post holder will act as the system-wide coordinator for flow between regional Level 2 units, Designated District General Hospitals, community teams, and home settings, ensuring the right child is in the right place at the right time.

About us

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research. The Trust comprises four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.

Our values, standards and behaviours define the quality of clinical care we offer and the professional relationships we make with our patients, colleagues and the wider community.

We call this Delivering Compassionate Excellence, and its focus is on our values of compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement and excellence.

These values put patients at the heart of what we do and underpin the quality healthcare we would like for ourselves or a member of our family. Watch how we set out to deliver compassionate excellence via the OUH YouTube channel.

In 2023NHS England launched its first sexual safety charter, and our Trust proudly signed it. We pledge zero tolerance for inappropriate sexual behaviour and commit to the ten core principles

Oxford University Hospitals promotes a safe, respectful hiring environment.

If you want to make a difference with us, come and join our team. Together, we will uphold the highest standards of care and professionalism.

Job responsibilities

Please see attached Job Description and Person Specification for more details, in order to fully understand the requirements of the role.

Person specification

Qualifications & Professional Registration

Essential

• NMC registration (Child branch or RN with significant paediatric experience)
• Degree in Nursing or equivalent experience
• Post-registration specialist paediatric critical care education (Level 2/3)
• Teaching, assessing or mentorship qualification (e.g., SLiP/Practice Assessor)
• Evidence of ongoing professional development through maintenance of an NMC revalidation or equivalent

Desirable

• Master's level study or working towards
• Leadership or management qualification / accredited training

Knowledge & Experience

Essential

• Extensive post-registration experience in paediatric nursing
• Significant experience in Paediatric Critical Care (Level 2 care minimum)
• Experience coordinating complex or long-stay discharges
• Experience working with MDTs, community teams, and external agencies
• In-depth understanding of PCC Levels of Care
• Comprehensive knowledge of discharge planning and patient flow
• Understanding of national PCC standards, ODN functions, ICS structures
• Understanding of clinical governance, audit, risk management
• Experience supervising and supporting staff and teams

Desirable

• Experience working across systems/ICBs/ODNs
• Experience developing guidelines, pathways, or nurse-led initiatives
• Experience leading or chairing MDT meetings/case conferences
• Experience in transition (neonatal->paediatrics; paediatrics->adult)
• Knowledge of SORT/specialist paediatric transport processes
• Knowledge of commissioning, continuing care, SEND pathways
• Experience in service improvement, audit, quality initiatives

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Highly developed communication, negotiation, influencing and interpersonal skills
• Ability to convey complex or sensitive information with empathy, experience working in emotionally charged/highly sensitive situations
• Strong clinical assessment and decision-making skills
• Excellent organisational and leadership skills; able to prioritise and escalate to resolve flow and capacity decisions
• Ability to advocate for children, young people, and families
• Confident IT literacy including electronic patient records
• Teaching, coaching, and staff development skills
• Experience managing complaints or investigations
• Ability to participate in audit, benchmarking, complex data collection and analysis
• Ability to develop and evaluate pathways or policies

Desirable

• Experience leading / co-ordinating multi-agency meetings

Values and Behaviours

Essential

• Able to demonstrate the ability to put patients and their families and carers at the heart of what you do and recognising different needs by encouraging a spirit of support, integrity, respect and teamwork.
• Shows pride in the quality of care they provide for patients and learning from successes and setbacks.
• Able to deliver a high standard of care for patients and always striving to improve on what you do through change and innovation.
• Able to proactively support colleagues in the delivery of care commensurate with Trust values and behaviours

Personal Qualities and Skills

Essential

• Ability to work flexibly across BOB ICS and TVW PCC ODN areas, travelling independently across sites
• Committed to professional development and high standards of practice.
• Motivated and able to articulate reasons for desire to work in the specific practice area
• Being self-aware and able to accept constructive criticism to allow learning and development
• A positive role model with an enthusiastic disposition.
• Resilient under pressure

Desirable

• Ability to represent the service at regional/national forums