London Borough of Sutton

Social Worker - Hospital Discharge - Adult Social Care

London Borough of Sutton London, England, United Kingdom

About The Borough

In Sutton, there is much for us to be proud of both as a council and as a borough. This includes high levels of resident satisfaction, the quality of our services, our success in addressing our financial challenges to date, the way that we involve and engage with residents on key issues facing the borough, and the enthusiastic and motivated staff that we employ.

Looking ahead, there are plans for the delivery of new homes and new schools and the London Cancer Hub is being developed, while the Council is also seen as a driving force within the South London Partnership of five outer south west London boroughs focused on strategic growth, regeneration and investment.

All of this demonstrates a good track record and an authority that is ambitious and set to deliver more improvements for the borough. We've set out our vision for the future of Sutton in our corporate plan - Ambitious for Sutton. This strategic plan will shape the outcomes we achieve, the services we provide, and the impact we have on residents, to make Sutton a great place to live, work and raise a family.

Situated in Zone 5, Sutton is less than 30 minutes by train from central London, and south and south west London are easily accessible by public transport. There are 10 train stations which serve key neighbourhoods within the borough providing direct connections to London Victoria, London Bridge, London Blackfriars and St Pancras International. Sutton also has direct rail connections with Epsom, Dorking, Guildford and Horsham, as well as Wimbledon for an interchange with the London Underground and West Croydon for the London Overground. There’s also an extensive road network which provides close and easy access to the M25 and M23.

About The Role

We are seeking an experienced professional to join our team as a Social Worker (Mental Health Discharge) on a 12 month fixed term contract within Adult Social Care at Sutton. Your responsibilities will include:

  • Conducting thorough assessments to determine patient needs and develop comprehensive discharge plans in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams.
  • Supporting junior social workers, enhancing team competencies and ensuring quality standards in our service delivery.


This critical role involves complex case management and requires a strategic thinker with extensive experience in mental health services. The successful candidate will lead on developing and implementing multifaceted discharge processes that integrate medical, social, and psychological aspects tailored to each patient's unique needs.

Join Adult Social Care as a Social Worker and receive a Welcome Bonus* of £1000 paid in your first month's salary or a Retention Bonus* of £1000 paid for every complete year in service (*subject to pay scale). With a total package of up to £50,083 including bonuses and benefits, this is an excellent opportunity to advance your career in social care.

Our dedicated teams work collaboratively to develop personalised discharge plans that ensure the seamless transition of patients from hospital settings to their home and community, promoting long-term well-being and preventing readmissions. We offer a flexible working environment, allowing you to work from home and the office as needed to meet the demands of the service. Join us in shaping the future of social care and making a positive impact on the lives of adults in our community.

For more information about the role and/or an informal conversation, view the Role Profile, contact Andrea Green, Head of Service on [email protected]

About Us

Adult Social Care is undergoing a significant transformation to address the rising demand for our services. We're implementing wide-ranging changes to improve care for adults and create positive working environments for our staff. We have new leaders and experienced managers who bring innovative ideas to the service and are driving meaningful changes throughout your service delivery. Our goal is to deliver exceptional care that enhances outcomes for our community whilst providing an inclusive, diverse and stable environment for staff to grow their career.

Mental Health, Learning Disabilities & Transitions

Within our boroughwide specialist service, there are three social work teams - The Transition Team, The Learning Disability team, and the Mental Health Team.

The Mental Health Team is a new initiative that coordinates social care for individuals with complex mental health needs. The team delivers the AMPH service, works closely with impatient services promoting timely discharges and coordinates community based support, including S117 aftercare. Our team contributes to meeting our statutory duties under the Mental Health Act and provides an opportunity to contribute to our strength based approach, focused on achieving the best outcome for our service users.

For more information on our new operating model and teams click here .

About You

This position offers an excellent opportunity for social workers with experience in completing assessments and reviews of people in receipt of aftercare under s117 of the Mental Health. You will have outstanding communication skills and a compassionate manner, capable of effectively managing high levels of emotional distress. Candidates should have the experience and ability to work under-pressure in a fast paced environment, in order to manage competing demands. We encourage applications from candidates with experience in adult social care and those passionate about delivering person-centred care and prevention strategies to manage risk.

In addition, we would expect the following from all suitable candidates:

  • To be registered with Social Work England and hold a degree in Social Care or similar with strong knowledge in social care legislation such as the Care Act 2014 and Mental Capacity Act 2005.
  • Have experience of working in a multidisciplinary team setting.
  • Have sound knowledge and ability to deliver social work support to service users and their families.
  • Ability to communicate complex social issues clearly to both patients and professionals.
  • Ability to plan and coordinate social care plans and aspects of resident discharge.


Our Offer To You

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across - however big or small - will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

In addition, we offer a modern and flexible working environment for our staff, supported by our IT infrastructure, including Google Chromebooks and Google Apps. Our Flexible Working - Smarter Working Scheme embraces new ways of working. It provides improved work life balance for our staff as it allows staff to work from a variety of locations and staff are not required to work within the office 5 days a week.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits, some of which include:

  • Generous annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply)
  • Flexi-time (Please note, this applies to roles at grades 1-9 only)
  • Three volunteering days per year in Sutton
  • Comprehensive learning and development programme
  • Local and national discounts for shopping, eating out and leisure activities
  • Interest free season ticket loans
  • Local Government Pension Scheme
  • Car parking scheme
  • Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
  • Zip car scheme
  • Free eye tests and contribution towards glasses
  • Confidential wellbeing and counselling support
  • Subsidised gym membership


Application Process

Please apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please ensure you refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application.

To support our diversity agenda and reduce the risk of bias in our recruitment activities, our short listing process completely anonymises personal information that can identify job applicants e.g. name, title etc. Our hiring managers review and short list applications based on the information provided as part of your application as to how well you meet the requirements and criteria for the role, as outlined in the job profile.

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Additional Information

We pride ourselves on being a diverse, inclusive and welcoming Borough and we aim to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve - the key highlights from our recent Equalities Workforce Report can be seen here. We are respectful of difference and realise the positive value of diversity in our workforce. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds and particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates and disabled candidates, as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce. As part of our Disability Confident Committed status, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum/essential criteria for the role.

We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums, and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.

The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance.

Important Information - Criminal Records

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory result to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. It replaces the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).

  • Seniority level

    Mid-Senior level
  • Employment type

    Full-time
  • Job function

    Other
  • Industries

    Government Administration

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