Patient flow Support worker

Job overview

The Patient Flow Support Worker is an integral member of the Patient Flow team, providing practical and administrative support to help facilitate the safe, effective and timely movement of patients through the hospital.

The post holder will work closely with Patient Flow colleagues, ward teams, clinical services, discharge teams and relevant partner organisations to support the coordination of patient pathways and discharge activity. They will assist with maintaining accurate and up-to-date patient information, following up agreed actions, identifying potential delays and escalating issues appropriately.

The role requires excellent communication and organisational skills, with the ability to work effectively in a busy and changing operational environment. The post holder will manage competing priorities, maintain confidentiality and provide a professional and responsive service to colleagues, patients and external partners.

Through effective coordination and administrative support, the Patient Flow Support Worker will contribute to reducing avoidable delays, supporting timely discharge, improving patient flow and helping the organisation make the best use of available bed capacity.

Main duties of the job

The Patient Flow Support Worker will provide day-to-day operational and administrative support to the Patient Flow team, helping to ensure patients move safely and efficiently through the hospital.

Key duties include supporting the coordination of patient discharges, transfers and repatriations; liaising with ward teams, clinical staff, therapists, discharge services and external partners to progress patient pathways; and identifying and escalating delays or barriers to discharge.

The post holder will use OPTICA and WardBoard daily to monitor patient pathways, maintain accurate discharge information and undertake reconciliation between systems, following up discrepancies and outstanding actions.

The role will also support patient transport arrangements, operational and discharge meetings, data collection and general administrative duties. The post holder will respond to telephone and email enquiries, maintain accurate and confidential patient records, and work flexibly in response to changing operational pressures.

The role requires effective communication and close working with multidisciplinary and partner teams to support timely discharge, effective patient flow and appropriate use of hospital capacity. Further duties are detailed within the full Job Description and Person Specification

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Patient Flow Support Worker will support the effective coordination of patient flow across the organisation, working with ward teams, clinicians, discharge teams, community services and external partners to facilitate timely admission, transfer, repatriation and discharge.

Key responsibilities include:

• Assisting and supporting patient flow across the hospital, including safe and timely transfers, discharges and repatriations.
• Using OPTICA, WardBoard and other patient flow systems to monitor patient pathways and maintain accurate, real-time patient information.
• Undertaking twice-daily reconciliation of WardBoard and OPTICA, ensuring discharge plans, delay reasons and estimated dates of discharge are accurate and consistent.
• Monitoring and coordinating patient repatriations to local hospitals, specialist units and other acute providers.
• Identifying, investigating and escalating internal and external barriers to discharge.
• Supporting patients with complex discharge requirements, including care packages, rehabilitation placements, continuing healthcare assessments, housing support and specialist transport.
• Acting as a point of contact for discharge planning and patient flow escalation.
• Attending and supporting patient flow, long length of stay, escalation and discharge meetings, accurately recording and progressing agreed actions.
• Supporting the coordination of discharge transport and responding to transport-related queries.
• Supporting complex transport arrangements, including repatriations, bariatric transfers and discharge transport.
• Providing advice and guidance to staff regarding OPTICA, patient flow processes, discharge pathways and transport booking systems.
• Supporting staff training on OPTICA, patient flow, discharge management and transport processes.
• Promoting high standards of data quality through education, coaching and auditing of patient flow information.
• Identifying opportunities for service improvement aimed at reducing delays and improving operational efficiency.
• Maintaining accurate patient information in line with Trust policies and information governance requirements.
• Escalating capacity pressures, discharge barriers, transport issues and patient safety concerns appropriately.

Overall, the post will support the Patient Flow team in maintaining safe and effective patient flow, reducing avoidable delays and ensuring patients receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.