Job summary
- Main area
- Senior Social Worker
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 6
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 232-AUC-7891566
- Employer
- North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Harplands Hospital
- Town
- Stoke-on-Trent
- Salary
- £38,682 - £46,580 Per Annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 28/04/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Senior Social Worker
NHS AfC: Band 6
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 6 Senior Social Worker to join the High Volume User (HVU) Service at University Hospital North Midlands (UHNM). The HVU team provides assessment and community-based support to patients who frequently attend A&E and impact hospital flow and waiting times. These individuals often present with complex physical, mental health, and social needs, requiring a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach to reduce reliance on urgent care services and improve engagement with appropriate pathways. The post holder will manage a complex caseload, acting as the allocated practitioner. You will undertake comprehensive assessments, develop and implement care and risk management plans, and work collaboratively with health, mental health, social care, and community services to ensure individuals receive coordinated and effective support. You will deliver person centred interventions in patients’ homes or community settings to improve outcomes and quality of life. The role includes maintaining accurate clinical records, effective communication, and acting as an advocate for service users. We are seeking a motivated, flexible, and compassionate practitioner with relevant experience and strong team working skills, committed to delivering high standards of care and upholding Trust values.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will be accountable on a day-to-day basis to the Team leader who will monitor and review all work through regular informal and formal supervision.
The role will involve assessing and implementing a range of interventions and providing guidance/advice and information for service users with acute or increasingly complex long-term conditions that could include mental health needs, learning difficulties or physical health difficulties.
The post holder will be required to be an integrated and supportive member of a team, planning, actioning, monitoring and evaluating work with the supervision of the Team Leader/experienced Social Worker.
The post holder will act as an experienced and independent practitioner within the role, assessing, formulating, implementing and agreeing support and intervention for Service Users. The post holder will seek guidance and support as needed and/or in relation to high profile, complex and/or very high cost or challenging cases.
Working for our organisation
As a Trust we remain bold and ambitious with plans for both service and system collaborative transformation over the coming years to improve the health and wellbeing of our local people through high quality care.
We pride ourselves on ensuring our team has their wellbeing put first and as such provide a range of wellness opportunities including flexible working.
We are committed to the Greener NHS national ambition to becoming the world’s first ‘carbon net zero’ national health system by 2045 (Greener NHS (england.nhs.uk). As part of this, sustainability is embedded in our strategy as one of our four key enablers. In order to deliver on this commitment, we recognise that we need a workforce that is as passionate as we are about achieving these goals, for the benefit of our service users, workforce, local communities and the planet alike.
The Trust is committed to ensuring that a diverse workforce is representative and inclusive at all levels. We would very much welcome applications from all under-represented groups including women, people with disabilities, people from global majority backgrounds, and those from the lesbian, gay, bi and trans communities.
The Trust is committed to the Step into Health scheme and actively encourages applicants from the Armed Forces Communities to apply.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To carry out a range of assessments including holistic assessments. The post holder will ensure that the service user is at the centre of the assessment/care and review.
To participate on the Duty Rota, where appropriate
To be responsible for undertaking assessments, signposting where relevant to other services, including Primary Health Care providing information, advice and guidance across the spectrum of Universal services, voluntary sector etc.
To communicate highly complex assessment information including care and support planning and risk factors, to Service Users, carers, professionals, Emergency Services, MDT and Courts, as appropriate and in line with Information Governance. Communicate sensitive issues in a skilled and appropriate manner and address any barriers to participation and understanding.
To communicate with a wide range of Service Users, their families, members of multi-disciplinary teams, external agencies including colleagues within the trust, Primary Health Care and the voluntary sector, Commissioners and other Senior Staff.
To coordinate the signposting and/or referral of Service Users in collaboration with multi-disciplinary colleagues and external services.
To uphold the principles of wellbeing and ensure Service Users people can access their rights and entitlements including access to social care resources under a range of relevant statute and eligibility criteria including the Care Act (2014), The Mental Health Act (1983/2007), the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and the Human Rights Act (1998).
To organise and chair more complex multi-disciplinary meetings and professional case conferences as required with the appropriate levels of support and guidance from senior staff. To articulate a wide range of information clearly, often in emotive situations. Responsibilities as participant/chair may include (but are not limited to) collating assessments from various agencies, ensuring relevant clinical, professional and legal documentation is available.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Professional Social Work qualification, DipSW, CQSW, CSS, BA, MA or equivalent
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Current registration with the Professional Social Work regulatory body at all times
Experience
Essential criteria
- Significant post-qualifying experience of working with adults, older adults, learning disability or children and young people.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Teri-Ann Eva
- Job title
- Service Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0300 123 1535
List jobs with North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust in Allied Health Professions or all sectors