Assistant Practitioner - Discharge to Assess Team
Job Description
Job summary
Please note: at this stage, the role is open only to colleagues currently employed within Kent and Medway NHS Trusts, the Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Medway Community Healthcare.
Be part of a service that is redefining how health and social care work together. Home First, a pioneering partnership between Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT) and Kent County Council, is at the forefront of the NHS vision.
We support people to return home from hospital safely and confidently, helping them regain independence in the place they know best: their own home. From the day of discharge, our dedicated team of Home First Support Workers, Assessors and Team Leads provide early intervention, personalised support and seamless coordination with health, social care and voluntary sector partners.
We take time to understand each person's unique situation, strengths and goals, creating tailored plans that may include care support, specialist equipment or connections to community organisations such as Age UK. By focusing on what matters most to individuals, we help people recover faster, reduce reliance on hospital-based care and achieve greater independence.
If you're passionate about person-centred care, collaborative working and being part of the future direction of the NHS, Home First offers a rewarding opportunity to make a real difference every day. Join us and help transform lives through integrated, community-based care.
Main duties of the job
Join the Discharge to Assess (D2A) team and play a vital role in helping people move safely from hospital to the next stage of their recovery. As part of the innovative Home First model, D2A supports individuals who no longer require an acute hospital bed but need further assessment to determine their long-term health and social care needs.
Working within hospital Transfer of Care Teams, you'll collaborate with a wide range of partners including acute trusts, Kent County Council, Continuing Healthcare, community services and voluntary organisations. You'll support people with a variety of needs, including complex care requirements, end of life assessments and those recovering from orthopaedic treatment.
This is a rewarding role where compassion, communication and teamwork are at the heart of everything. You'll be a key point of contact for patients, relatives, carers and partner organisations, helping to guide people through what can often be an uncertain and challenging time.
Your varied day may include triaging referrals, supporting registered clinicians, liaising with care providers and care homes, speaking with patients and families, and using a range of IT and healthcare systems. Full training will be provided.
Based at Maidstone or Tunbridge Wells Hospital, with hybrid working available, this is an exciting opportunity to join a forward-thinking service that is transforming patient care across Kent.
About us
Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust is due to integrate with Medway Community Healthcare on 1 October 2026. Following integration and to align our community services to the new Neighbourhood Model of care delivery, there will be a period of consultation which may result in changes affecting some services, teams or roles. Depending on the area you are applying to work in, this could include potential changes to your role, work base, reporting arrangements, or terms and conditions of employment. Any changes would be subject to consultation and managed sensitively and in line with relevant employment processes. Please do contact the recruiting manager if you have any concerns about this so they can answer any questions you might have.
Rated 'Outstanding' by CQC, we deliver high-quality care that improves the health of our communities. We are looking for people who share our values:Compassionate, Aspirational, Responsive and Excellent.
We are proud to be an inclusive, welcoming organisation and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We use protected characteristic information for monitoring only and it is not seen by recruiting managers, except where applicants choose to be considered under our disability guaranteed interview scheme.
We know life outside work matters.As a flexible working-friendly organisation, we welcome conversations about arrangements that help you thrive while supporting excellent care for our patients.
Explore KCHFTcareer pathways
Job responsibilities
As a community Trust, many of our roles require individuals to be able to drive to perform their duties. Where driving is a requirement of the role, you will be asked to confirm that you hold a full UK driving licence or a full driving licence issued by an EU country (not exchanged from a non-EU country) to proceed with your application. We are committed to supporting candidates with disabilities into employment. If you are unable to drive due to a disability, please contact the Recruitment Team via [email protected], quoting the vacancy reference number, so we can support you further.
The job description and person specification gives you all the information you need about this role. Please look carefully at the criteria in the person specification and tell us what you have done that shows you meet this in your application. If you need an application form in an alternative format please let our recruitment team know. All information you supply on your application should, to the best of your knowledge, be true and accurate.
Still have questions? The recruiting manager would love to hear from you, their contact details can be found in the job advert.
We can get a lot of applications for some roles so to be in with the best chance of being shortlisted please make sure you apply as soon as possible. A vacancy may close early if there is a lot of interest in the job.
At KCHFT we strongly encourage colleagues in clinical and non-clinical roles who have direct or social contact with patients to be fully vaccinated. In this way we will be doing all we can to ensure your safety and that of your colleagues and the patients we serve.
Find out more about the community difference here.
Good luck! We cant wait to meet you and welcome you to #teamKCHFT, #cometocommunity.
Person Specification
Qualifications, training and experience
Essential
- You will have either: A level 5 foundation degree level of study Or you will be able to demonstrate the equivalent level of experience
- In addition you will also have Functional Skills at Level 2 (Literacy and numeracy/ GCSE grade A-C/ 4-9 or equivalent in English and Maths)
- You'll need to have recent experience as a healthcare worker gained through education, work experience or previous employment
- A full, valid UK driving licence or a full driving licence issued by an EU country
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- You will need to have a customer focussed approach
- Provide clients and their families with the best possible experience
- You will need to be able to be able to use IT systems and databases
- You will fully understand the role and remit of an Assistant Practitioner
- Prioritise care delivery in line with trust policies and procedures
Desirable
- Having an awareness of developments within the NHS would be an advantage.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Employer details
Employer name
Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Maidstone Hospital
Maidstone
ME16 9QQ
United Kingdom
