Complex Discharge Specialist Nurse

Job overview

An opportunity has arisen for a highly motivated individual to join the Complex Discharge Team at CUH as a Band 6 Specialist Support Nurse. You will work within the ward environment alongside the multidisciplinary team liaising with community partners, patients, families, and carers to plan, facilitate and optimise complex patient discharges from the hospital.

You will be part of an existing team of Specialist Support Nurses, Clinical Nurse Specialists and Discharge Co-ordinators who currently support all adult inpatient areas across CUH. You will be part of a dedicated team working together to achieve the best possible outcomes for all our patients, keeping them at the centre of what we do.

You will work collaboratively with the multidisciplinary health and social care teams within both CUH and community teams to navigate the patients across pathways to ensure a safe discharge once deemed clinically fit for discharge. The Specialist Support Nurse will escalate issues with external organisations to prevent a delayed discharge through agreed escalation process. Negotiation with staff, services and patients will be a vital part of this role to ensure the patient journey is progressed appropriately and safely.

You will support ward professionals in agreeing the pathway for discharge from hospital in accordance with agreed policies and professional guidelines and complete onwards referrals for care support across all discharge pathways.

Main duties of the job

To work within the Complex Discharge Team providing a seven-day service including weekends & bank holidays assessing patients’ needs for a safe discharge. Working with health and social care teams, the post holder will agree the most appropriate pathway of care to support discharge from hospital.

To provide a proactive and continuous approach to complex discharge planning. This will involve the continual prioritization of workload to ensure all discharge cases are managed in a timely manner.

To consider “Home First” as the preferred Discharge Pathway, evidencing clearly rationale for any provision of bed-based care.

To communicate with patients and their families/carers from admission regarding discharge planning. This will include taking patient history regarding social circumstances, establishing with the patient their wishes post-discharge and signposting and referring to relevant services.

To provide relevant and accurate information to patients and their families regarding discharge plans in a timely way enabling them to make informed decisions regarding discharge plans.

To provide sign posting information to patients and their carers regarding external services i.e. Voluntary sector

To obtain feedback from patients regarding their experience about the discharge planning process to inform the development of discharge processes and prevention of poor future discharges.

Act as an effective MDT member in managing discharges and progress the patients’ journey.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the attached Applicant Information Pack (combined Job Description and Person Specification) for key duties and responsibilities.

Due to Home Office immigration rules, a full time permanent vacancy cannot be filled by individuals on a Student visa. Therefore, please be advised that if you are a Student visa holder, we will not be able to offer you a full time permanent contract unless you have: -    applied for a Graduate visa -    or you will have successfully completed your course and have applied for a Graduate visa before the anticipated start date of your employment -    or the Trust has agreed that they will Sponsor you as a Skilled Worker and you will complete your studies within 3 months of the anticipated start

This vacancy will close at midnight on 27 July  2026

Interviews are due to be held on 12 Aug 2026

Benefits to you

At Cambridge University Hospitals, we want to do all we can to support good working days. We offer development opportunities and a wide range of benefits, including on-site leisure facilities, shopping concourse and day nurseries. Our good work programme currently includes providing reduced cost Stagecoach bus travel to and from Cambridge University Hospital site. Park and Ride bus journeys between Babraham Road and Trumpington sites are free, as is the route to and from Cambridge train station and our hospitals. We also subsidise the cost of parking on site for eligible staff.

On CUH campus, hot food is available 24/7 and at a reduced cost for colleagues. Recently we launched the first of our staff pod break spaces. Located in the Deakin Centre, we have a purpose-created colleague-only café, with free tea and coffee, a break space and private outside area for colleagues to rest, refuel and recharge. Just one of the ways we are working hard to support good working days at CUH.

CUH is committed to assisting employees in achieving a good work-life balance irrespective of role or personal circumstances. Flexible arrangements may include, but are not limited to, part-time working, job-share, term-time working and flexible start and finish times.

Please note if you would like to discuss the required hours of this role further, you should approach the contact given. In some cases, alternative working hours will be considered.

We welcome applications from the Armed Forces.