Liaison/Rapid Response Sister/Charge Nurse Luton

Job Summary

The closing date is 23 August 2026

This is an opportunity for a shared post between two teams - The Integrated Discharge Team based at Luton & Dunstable Hospital and our community based Rapid Response Team.

This is an exciting role for a dynamic nurse who enjoys autonomous practice, complex clinical decision-making, multidisciplinary working, and leading others to deliver outstanding patient-centred care as well as having knowledge of discharge planning.

These teams play a vital role in preventing hospital admissions or facilitating early and complex discharges.

The successful applicant will be in an exciting position to contribute to:

• Service development by developing new ways of working (e.g. clinical triage, patient assessment, discharge planning )
• Strengthening collaborative working, both across the teams and with system partners (e.g. GPs, social care and voluntary organisations)

Join us and be part of transforming and providing high quality health care within an integrated team model. In return we will actively encourage and support to develop.

This role includes shift work & weekend working.

Interview date will be on 22 July 2026 which will be held at the Poynt in Luton which will be face to face interviews. This will give you the opportunity to see the working environment and meet the team.

(Should we receive a high number of applications we reserve the right to close this vacancy at any point after 11/08/2026)

Main duties of the job

• You will contribute to the delivery of safe, effective and timely discharges for patients returning to the community from hospital.
• Assess patients, work collaboratively with families, carers, the multidisciplinary team to ensure a comprehensive understanding of available community services when arranging health-funded packages of care.
• Receive, assess, manage same-day referrals from Primary Care through the GP Liaison Service, using clinical judgement, decision-making to support admission avoidance and ensure patients are directed to the most appropriate care pathway.
• Ensure the provision of community nursing care that responds to urgent crisis response requirements in the community by assessing, prioritising, allocating, visiting, and treating patients using up to date clinical skills and knowledge. Work with the integrated community nursing teams and wider multidisciplinary / integrated teams to provide high quality nursing care.
• Work collaboratively with acute hospital, ambulance service and other providers to ensure care at home that avoids inappropriate hospital admission.
• Prevent unnecessary hospital admissions and facilitate timely hospital discharge.

About Us

Rated 'Outstanding' by the Care Quality Commission, we are proud to provide high quality innovative services across most of the east of England that enable people to receive care closer to home and live healthier lives.

There's one reason why our services are outstanding - and that's our amazing staff who, for the seventh year running, rated us incredibly highly in the national staff survey.

Details

Date posted: 04 August 2026

Pay scheme: Agenda for change

Band: Band 6

Salary: £39,959 to £48,117 a year per annum, pro-rata

Contract: Permanent

Working pattern: Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number: 448-LCA-8103181-A

Job locations: Luton & Dunstable Hospital / The Poynt, The Poynt unit 2-3, Luton, LU4 0LA, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities

Integrated Discharge Team

• Work collaboratively with a range of multidisciplinary and organisational teams across both hospital and community settings.
• Facilitate safe and timely discharge for patients receiving End-of-Life care and those requiring Department of Health Fast Track or 100% Continuing Healthcare funding.
• Promote clear and effective communication between patients, relatives, carers and professional colleagues to ensure seamless care delivery, including the exchange of sensitive clinical information.
• Support effective information sharing across organisations to maintain continuity of care throughout the patient journey.
• Represent community services at multidisciplinary meetings and case conferences.
• Enable and empower patients and their families/carers to participate in discharge planning, promoting independence, choice and informed decision-making.
• Assess and prescribe equipment required for discharge to promote patient safety and support effective care delivery within the community.
• Provide clinical supervision and participate in regular one-to-one sessions with delegated members of the team.
• Recognise and manage challenges associated with cross-boundary working, particularly in relation to patients with complex needs and multiple care pathways.
• Contribute to the GP Liaison Service by receiving referrals for same-day assessment within the Acute Trust and managing these effectively, with a focus on avoiding unnecessary admission where appropriate.
• Ensure that all patients are treated with dignity, compassion and respect at all times.

Rapid Response

• Prevent avoidable hospital admissions through comprehensive assessment, care planning, implementation, treatment and evaluation of care packages tailored to individual patient needs, in accordance with Trust policies and guidelines.
• Support admission avoidance by assessing, coordinating and delivering specialised care packages for patients.
• Undertake a range of core nursing interventions, including intravenous antibiotic administration, wound care, clinical observations, pressure area care and risk assessments such as PURPOSE-T and MUST.
• Undertake advanced clinical procedures including intravenous therapy, cannulation, syringe driver management and catheterisation.
• Perform diagnostic procedures and tests, where competent, to gain a comprehensive understanding of a patients condition, including ECGs, phlebotomy, blood glucose monitoring, Point of Care Testing and interpretation of blood results.
• Prescribe medication, where appropriately qualified and authorised, in accordance with independent nurse prescribing standards and professional guidelines.
• Work autonomously, using advanced clinical skills and nursing knowledge to assess, plan and deliver episodes of care, referring to other services where appropriate to support patient outcomes.
• Facilitate effective communication between patients, relatives, carers and professional colleagues to ensure coordinated and seamless care.
• Respond to urgent referrals from health and social care professionals, using sound clinical judgement and triage skills to assess, plan and implement evidence-based interventions.
• Gather, analyse and interpret information from referrers, making informed decisions and advising on the most appropriate care pathway for the patient.
• Assess and prioritise unscheduled requests for nursing intervention, ensuring allocation to the most appropriately skilled clinician.
• Ensure that all patients are treated with dignity, compassion and respect at all times.
• Be accountable for the holistic assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of patient care packages and treatment interventions.
• Identify and manage complications associated with patient care, implementing interventions that support patients to remain safely at home wherever appropriate. Maintain accurate and contemporaneous records.
• Refer patients to other services and agencies as appropriate, including Social Services and specialist teams.
• Recognise and elevate unforeseen crisis situations relating to staffing, caseloads, support networks or supervision, escalating risks, actions and outcomes to senior colleagues/team members as required.
• Manage personal workload and support team workload management to ensure effective delivery of community care and reduce inappropriate hospital admissions.
• Coordinate and oversee complex packages of care involving multiple professionals and agencies, providing specialist advice to patients and families to support informed decision-making.
• Take responsibility for maintaining and developing the clinical skills and knowledge required to support safe care for patients on the caseload.
• Participate in maintaining standards of care within the team, supporting the teaching, coordination, deployment and supervision of staff in accordance with their skills, knowledge and development needs. Participate in workforce planning, including annual leave, sickness and study leave cover, where required.
• Be accountable for the effective management, prioritisation and delegation of work for both self and team members. Develop personalised, evidence-based care plans and ensure care is delivered by the most appropriate member of the multidisciplinary team.
• Provide education and health promotion to patients and carers regarding their condition, treatment, potential side effects and expected outcomes, encouraging self-management, independence and resilience.

Person Specification

Qualifications and Training

Essential

• RGN
• Educated to degree level or equivalent e.g. Community Specialist practitioner / PgDip
• Evidence of CPD
• MSPP or equivalent

Desirable

• Post Graduate study in relevant area
• Independent Nurse Prescribing or willingness to undertake

Experience

Essential

• Significant post registration experience
• Understanding of staff and resource management
• Understanding of multidisciplinary team working and collaborative care delivery
• Ability to work within a skill mixed team, working within quality standards
• Knowledge of discharge planning processes
• Demonstrate an understanding of research and its impact on clinical practice
• Knowledge of DoH Continuing Health Care process - Fast Track funding
• Evidence of involvement in project development work or health promotion group work
• Ability to demonstrate experience and knowledge of clinical governance and audit

Desirable

• Experience of working within a high ethnic population
• DN / Community experience
• Demonstrate an understanding of Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005
• Experience of discharge planning within an Acute Trust setting
• Able to demonstrate an understanding of DoH Continuing Health Care processes - Checklists, Decision Support Tool, review

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

• Evidence of up to date clinical competencies (Acute patient ass skills, recognition of red flags, venepuncture, cannulation, IV administration, Syringe Driver Management/Palliative symptom management control, catheter management, triage and prioritisation skills
• Time Management and prioritisation skills, ability to work under pressure in a changing work environment
• Ability to work flexibly as part of a team.
• Leadership skills with a high level of self-awareness
• Ability to manage and lead a team effectively
• Ability and experience to work autonomously as an independent practitioner
• Ability to work across organisational and professional boundaries
• Evidence of IT literacy, including standard keyboard skills and proficiency in systems such as Microsoft Word and Outlook
• Relevant clinical competencies in patient assessment and diagnosis, palliative care, intravenous therapy administration, and syringe driver management
• Evidence of managing complex discharges using a multi-agency approach
• Teaching, facilitation, and presentation skills
• Experience of managing patients with acute and chronic long-term conditions
• Evidence of effective communication skills with internal and external agencies and care partners

Desirable

• Experience of Systmone
• Experience of hospital IT systems

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. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer Details

Employer name: East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust (Cambridge)

Address: Luton & Dunstable Hospital / The Poynt, The Poynt unit 2-3, Luton, LU4 0LA, United Kingdom

Employer's website: Apply through our website

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact: IDT Liaison Team or Rapid Response Service Manager, Emma Farquhar

Email: emmafarquhar@nhs.net

Telephone: 01582497355