Adult Social Worker - Front of House in Cambridge

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Social Worker to join our Transfer of Care Service, working within the Emergency Department at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge. This is a unique and rewarding role at the heart of one of the region's busiest hospitals, where you will work alongside health and therapy colleagues to ensure people receive the right support at the right time. Your focus will be on promoting independence, preventing unnecessary hospital admissions, and facilitating safe and timely discharges from the Emergency Department.

Working autonomously within a fast-paced environment, you will utilise your social work expertise to identify strengths, assess support needs, and develop person-centred solutions that maximise independence and wellbeing. You will play a key role in helping individuals access community resources, preventative services, and adult social care support where appropriate. You will work within the Hospital Early Intervention Team (EIT), a multidisciplinary team including Frailty Specialist Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Discharge Planning Specialist Nurses and medical staff. Together, the team supports admission avoidance and discharge planning across the Emergency Department.

As the Social Worker within the team, you will provide specialist Adult Social Care expertise, helping to facilitate safe and timely discharges, prevent unnecessary hospital admissions and connect individuals with community-based support. Working collaboratively with health colleagues, community services and the voluntary sector, you will ensure people receive the right support at the right time, promoting independence and wellbeing through a strengths-based approach. You will provide advice, information, assessment and support to adults, their families and carers, ensuring coordinated, person-centred care and positive outcomes.

What will you be doing? As the Front of House Social Worker, you will:

• Work directly within the Emergency Department to support adults who present with social care needs.
• Provide early intervention and prevention support, helping people access the right services at the right time and reducing the need for ongoing statutory intervention where appropriate.
• Complete Adult Early Help Community Action Plans, identifying strengths, community resources and practical solutions that promote independence and wellbeing.
• Triage and respond to referrals from ambulance services, health colleagues and partner agencies, ensuring timely follow-up and coordinated support.
• Facilitate the restart of care and support packages where required, working closely with providers, health professionals and community services to prevent unnecessary admissions and support discharge home.
• Work collaboratively with individuals, families, carers and professionals to develop personalised solutions that build on existing strengths and support networks.
• Provide specialist advice and guidance on Adult Social Care, legislation and community-based support options.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with health colleagues as part of a multidisciplinary team, promoting understanding of preventative and strengths-based approaches.
• Support safe and timely discharge planning, enabling people to return home safely wherever possible.
• Undertake Care Act assessments, carers assessments, safeguarding enquiries and Mental Capacity Act work where required, ensuring risks are appropriately identified and managed.

About you: We are looking for a confident and experienced Social Worker who thrives in a busy multidisciplinary environment and is passionate about prevention and independence. You will:

• Be a qualified Social Worker with current registration with Social Work England.
• Have experience of working with adults, including assessment, support planning and safeguarding.
• Have a strong working knowledge of the Care Act 2014, Mental Capacity Act 2005 and other relevant legislation.
• Be confident in applying professional judgement and constructively challenging decisions where necessary.
• Have experience of working collaboratively with health partners and other agencies to achieve positive outcomes.
• Demonstrate excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build effective professional relationships.
• Be able to work independently, prioritise competing demands and make sound decisions within a fast-paced environment.
• Show resilience, adaptability and the ability to remain calm under pressure.
• Have strong literacy, administrative and recording skills, with the ability to analyse information and produce clear assessments and plans.
• Be committed to delivering person-centred, strengths-based and outcome-focused practice.

This is an exciting opportunity to make a meaningful difference at the earliest stage of a person's journey through health and social care services. Working at the front door of the hospital, you will be instrumental in helping people access the right support, maintain their independence and achieve the best possible outcomes.

About us: Cambridgeshire is a great place to work and live with a diverse population, an urban centre in Cambridge, historic Isle of Ely, Huntingdon and St Ives as well as more rural landscapes. Our four values are central to our culture, driving everything we do. Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, along with our employee network 'IDEAL' and self-organised peer support groups help us to foster an inclusive, supportive and safe working environment where people feel valued, respected, and empowered.