Patient Flow (Urgent Care) Clinician London

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our Urgent Care Service as Band 6 Patient Flow Clinician within Central Flow Hub. This is a key role within the service, supporting the coordination of patient flow and bed management across CNWL, and working closely with internal and external partners to ensure safe, timely, and patient-centred admissions and transfers. The post offers an excellent opportunity for clinicians who are interested in developing their skills in clinical decision-making, system working, and operational leadership within urgent and acute mental health care. All staff will receive supervision, support and training.

Main duties of the job

• To work as part of the Central Flow Hub team, with responsibility for overseeing the daily coordination and management of bed availability across CNWL sites; and ensuring a smooth, efficient flow of patients by managing requests, tracking bed status, and facilitating timely transitions/admissions.
• This is a high-impact role where any decisions made directly affect patient care and flow across the Trust.
• This role is integral in helping to create a responsive and efficient system that improves patient outcomes and enhances the overall service delivery.

Job responsibilities

• Clinical Prioritisation and Decision-Making: To facilitate the safe admission of mental health patients, especially those in emergency situations (e.g., via Emergency Departments and HBPoS). You will support the CFH Team manager in assessing and prioritising patients who require urgent care while balancing the demands of planned mental health assessments.
• Responsibility for managing the safe inpatient placement of high-risk community patients, ensuring they receive timely, appropriate care in a safe environment, requiring both clinical knowledge and also a compassionate and patient-centred approach to care.
• To ensure careful recording and monitoring of bed status and bed requests. Accuracy in managing data is crucial to ensure that all admissions and discharges are tracked efficiently and in real-time.
• At times you will be the senior clinician on duty and will be responsible for the co-ordination and smooth running of the service.
• Efficient Bed Management & Patient Flow: To manage bed resources effectively, including internal transfers and repatriation to and from other Trusts; ensuring beds are allocated efficiently to meet the fluctuating demands of the mental health urgent care system.
• To be proactive in anticipating challenges in patient flow and bed management and develop strategies to address them, ensuring continuous improvement in the system.
• To be able to address challenges and provide solutions in real-time, ensuring that all patient flow requests are managed efficiently, and that patients receive timely care.
• To stay up-to-date with national targets, Trust objectives, and related policies, thus ensuring that bed management and patient flow practices are compliant and optimised to meet organisational and regulatory standards.

Collaboration and Communication:

• To use strong interpersonal and communication skills to work across other internal Trust teams and external Trusts, collaborating with emergency teams, clinicians, and other health professionals to ensure smooth patient transitions and the safe management of resources.
• To provide bed management support across various CNWL sites and teams, using strong communication and coordination skills to manage requests, prioritise admissions, and ensure continuity of care for mental health patients.

Person Specification

• Education/Qualification
• Essential: Registered Mental Health Nurse, social worker or Allied Health Professional with registration to practice; Evidence of continuing professional development.
• Desirable: Up to date Practice Supervisor/assessor qualification.
• Experience/Knowledge
• Essential: Experience of working in acute mental health services post-registration; Working knowledge of serious mental illness, relapse indicators and clinical risk assessment; Experience working with Microsoft Office and excellent IT skills; Experience of adapting for change in the workplace and an aptitude for thriving in a role that constantly evolves; To have a working knowledge of the Mental Health Act 1983/2007, The Mental Health Compact and Who pays? Understanding of the role you play in delivering the wider strategy of Trust; Experience of providing supervision and support to junior staff.
• Desirable: Use of System One; Use of Tableau; Previous bed management experience.
• Skills & Abilities
• Essential: Ability to write clear, concise reports; Ability to communicate clearly; Excellent problem-solving skills; Flexible and adaptable to meet deadlines, commitments and priorities; High level of work organisation, self-motivation, drive for performance and improvement, and flexibility in approach and attitude; Able to recognise and respect the values of diverse perspectives; Able to demonstrate commitment to high quality care and service provision.

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. 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.