Assistant Service Manager Integrated Discharge Team - Borders General Hospital

Job Details

Grade: 9A

Hourly Rate: £24.74 - £26.72

Salary: £45,153.19 - £48,766.68 Per Annum

Contract Duration: Permanent

 

**INTERVIEWS WILL BE HELD 13TH JULY 2026**

Role Purpose

We are seeking a motivated, organised and forward‑thinking Assistant Service Manager to play a pivotal role within our Integrated Discharge Team (IDT). This is an exciting opportunity to support safe, person‑centred and timely discharge planning across Borders General Hospital, ensuring effective patient flow and high‑quality multidisciplinary practice.

In this key leadership role, you will work closely with the Service Manager to ensure all acute inpatients are allocated promptly and appropriately to the IDT, maintaining full ward coverage and balanced workloads. You will monitor daily attendance at board rounds, MDTs, safety briefs and ward huddles, escalating concerns and co‑leading daily huddles to confirm priorities, risks and responsibilities.

You will provide day‑to‑day guidance, informal supervision and visible leadership, supporting staff wellbeing while identifying early performance or practice issues. A core part of the role involves monitoring adherence to expected standards, including timely assessments, accurate Mosaic recording, proactive ward engagement and robust challenge of incorrect PDDs or inappropriate discharge decisions.
Operationally, you will track daily performance indicators such as delays, barriers to flow, outstanding assessments and PDD accuracy. You will monitor key KPIs—including pre‑12 discharges, pathway distribution, 72‑hour assessment compliance and delayed discharge reasons—flagging concerns and supporting improvement. You will identify recurring issues such as slow referrals or low Mosaic activity and work with staff to strengthen performance and clinical reasoning.

You will contribute professional social work input when delegated, supporting legally sound decision‑making and reviewing the quality of mental capacity assessments, best‑interest decisions and safeguarding interventions. You will champion evidence‑based practice, Home First principles and person‑centred discharge planning.

The role also includes supporting the smooth running of IDT operations in the Team Lead’s absence, ensuring proactive patient identification, daily case monitoring and effective coordination with wards, Home First, community hospitals and community teams. You will help unblock operational issues such as provider shortages or equipment delays, escalate concerns appropriately and support adherence to discharge pathway SOPs.

You will monitor care package and placement decisions for cost‑effectiveness and compliance with delegated authority, ensuring accurate financial recording and early escalation of emerging financial pressures. You will also support commissioning discussions by identifying gaps in provision or recurring operational challenges.
As a key point of contact for wards, community services and external providers, you will help resolve day‑to‑day issues, address persistent delays or gatekeeping, and build strong working relationships with voluntary sector partners. You may represent the IDT at operational meetings and will work collaboratively with families, carers and advocacy services to support safe, person‑centred transitions.

This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast‑paced environment, enjoys problem‑solving, and is committed to improving patient flow and multidisciplinary practice. If you are passionate about high‑quality discharge planning and ready to take the next step in leadership, we would love to hear from you.

Essential

The Assistant Service Manager will have relevant experience / qualifications from one of the following backgrounds: Social Work, Adult Social Care, Occupational Therapy, Nursing. Educated to Degree Level.

Educated to degree level

 

SSSC/HCPC

 

Current Driving License

Informal Enquiries

Informal enquiries may be made to Niamh McGregor at Niamh.McGregor@scotborders.gov.uk

Scottish Borders Council is committed to improving the diversity of its workforce to better reflect the communities we serve. We welcome applications from all minority groups and individuals who identify with one or more of the protected characteristics as defined by the Equality Act 2010. In particular from candidates who assess themselves as having a disability, under the Disability Confident Employer scheme this guarantees an interview to those individuals who meet the essential criteria of the post. All appointments will be made on merit.

Scottish Borders Council is committed to providing support for Armed Forces Veterans. Showing its commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant, the Council guarantees an interview to veterans who meet the essential criteria of the post. All appointments will be made on merit.