Job overview

This is a unique opportunity for an experienced therapist to be the lead Therapies representative in the new system discharge hub. 

This role is being recruited to provide a service 1st Nov to 31st Dec.

Northampton is set to move to a system wide Transfer of care hub (ToCH) in November 2026. It will establish a single, integrated, multidisciplinary coordination function, bringing together professionals from acute, community, social care and voluntary sector organisations into a unified system approach (KGH & NGH hubs integrate). At its core, the model is underpinned by a “Home First” philosophy, ensuring that patients are supported to return home wherever possible, with decision-making guided by a strength-based approach and a system-wide focus on achieving the best outcomes for individuals.

The ToCH is intended to bring together teams involved in discharge planning through one coordinated system approach. Its core process runs from early identification of complexity through referral, triage, pathway allocation, brokerage and sourcing, discharge coordination and completion of discharge. There will be one hub across the system.

The successful candidate will be the consistent therapies representative in the hub. All hub representatives will function as a team, receiving and processing referrals throughout the working day, removing the daily hub meetings, and moving towards a more responsive model of referrals being received, reviewed and actioned as they come in.

The therapist will act as a central role, bringing significant experience as a clinician, whilst developing their understanding of system therapies services. The successful candidate will pull this knowledge together to help provide expert advice, signposting and system working to ensure best outcomes for patients and timely access to appropriate services during discharge planning. 

The system ToCH will be based at Northampton General Hospital and therefore the therapist will be hosted by and line managed by the NGH Therapies management team with close links with system therapy leads. The hubs core hours will function between  8-4:30pm 7 days a week. This post is expected to provide the core provision mon - fri. 

Main duties of the job

The System Therapies Discharge Lead will be the lead and consistent therapy presence within the Integrated Discharge Hub, bringing advanced specialist Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy expertise into daily discharge decision-making and system working.

In November 2026 Northamptonshire will be moving to a system Integrated discharge hub model. The therapist in post will act as a system therapies representative and will have insights into therapies services across the county across health and social care. The therapist will provide support and decision making for patients across the county including from NGH, KGH, and community hospitals.

The post holder will provide expert therapy analysis, clinical reasoning, positive risk management and professional advice for patients whose complex clinical, functional, psychological or social needs are affecting discharge. They will hold oversight of a targeted caseload of complex cases in an advisory capacity, reviewing existing assessments and information, clarifying therapy-related needs and making recommendations to resolve barriers and support safe and timely discharge. The post holder will not routinely undertake hands-on clinical assessment, treatment or intervention.

Working across professional and organisational boundaries, the post holder will lead the therapy contribution to discharge planning, escalation and validation processes. They will build effective relationships with acute teams, community services, adult social care, mental health, care providers, brokerage and other system partners to support patient-centred decisions, appropriate use of resources and continuity of care.

As a senior therapist, the post holder will provide visible professional leadership, challenge constructively, support complex case resolution, educate colleagues and contribute to service improvement, audit, governance and evaluation. The role will promote a Home First and discharge-to-assess approach, where clinically appropriate, while maintaining professional standards and safeguarding patient choice, safety and dignity.

Base: Northampton General Hospital, with attendance at system settings according to service need. Operational accountability: Discharge Matron / Integrated Discharge Hub leadership.

Working for our organisation

Please submit your application as soon as possible, as we reserve the right to close adverts once sufficient applications have been received.

We recognise that AI tools can support application writing; however, candidates are asked to keep their use to a minimum. Responses should reflect your own experience, skills and knowledge, as over-reliance on AI-generated content may result in generic answers that do not accurately represent your abilities.

University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN) brings together Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust. As a group, we are committed to improving services for our communities through collaboration, modernising care delivery and striving for excellence. Working together enables us to share expertise, strengthen services and create greater opportunities, and there may be a requirement to work across sites depending on service needs.

Our Excellence Values are Compassion, Accountability, Respect, Integrity and Courage. UHN welcomes applications from all backgrounds and is committed to an inclusive working environment. We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and hold the Gold Award under the Employer Recognition Scheme. Candidates who identify as members of the Armed Forces community and meet the essential criteria will be guaranteed an interview.