Advanced Practitioner – Social Worker – Hospital Interface Service (Adults)

About the job

Key information

Transform lives, champion rights & support adults to achieve their full potential.

• Location: Yeovil or Taunton
• Starting salary £41,771 rising annually, currently up to £46,142
• Full time, 37 hours per week
• Ideal opportunity for an experienced practitioner looking for their next step
• 30 days annual leave entitlement

What will I be doing?

As an Advanced Practitioner Social Worker within the Hospital Interface Service (HIS), you will provide high‑quality professional leadership within a fast‑paced hospital environment, ensuring excellent, strengths‑based social work practice across Adult Social Care.

You will play a pivotal role supporting adults with complex needs during hospital admission, stay and discharge, championing a Home First and hopeful social work approach. Working closely with health partners, you will help people return home safely wherever possible, reduce unnecessary admissions, and support timely, person‑centred discharge planning.

This is an ideal opportunity for an experienced and confident social worker ready to take the next step into advanced practice, leadership and service development.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide professional leadership and advanced practice within the Hospital Interface Service.
• Hold oversight of complex cases, offering expert advice, joint working and decision‑making where required.
• Support safe, timely hospital discharge and admission avoidance using strengths‑based and asset‑focused approaches.
• Lead and support safeguarding practice, including complex risk management and mental capacity decision‑making.
• Provide high‑quality reflective supervision and professional guidance to social workers within the service.
• Work collaboratively with health colleagues across acute hospitals, intermediate care and community services.
• Contribute to the development, monitoring and quality assurance of service performance and practice standards.
• Act as a source of expert knowledge in legislation, policy and best practice, including the Care Act, Mental Capacity Act and safeguarding duties.

What kind of experience or qualifications do I need?

• Qualified Social Worker with current registration with Social Work England.
• Extensive post‑qualifying experience within Adult Social Care, ideally including hospital‑based practice.
• Strong working knowledge of the Hospital discharge and community support guidance, Care Act 2014, Mental Capacity Act 2005, safeguarding legislation and associated guidance.
• Proven ability to manage complexity, risk and ethical decision‑making in fast‑moving environments.
• Experience of supporting and supervising practitioners, promoting reflective and strengths‑based practice.
• Excellent communication, leadership and partnership‑working skills.

A comprehensive list of the job requirements can be found at the bottom of this advert.

Supporting documents and information

About the Team/Service

The Hospital Interface Service (HIS) is a vital part of Somerset’s integrated health and social care system. Based within acute hospitals, the service focuses on supporting people to return home safely, avoid unnecessary admissions, and regain independence following a hospital stay.

Guided by the principles of hopeful social work, HIS practitioners work alongside health colleagues to challenge pessimism, promote possibility and keep people connected to their communities. The team plays a key role across admission avoidance, discharge planning, intermediate care pathways and safeguarding adults in hospital settings.

Joining HIS means being part of a motivated, skilled and values‑driven team making a tangible difference every day.

Additional Information

Please Note: We may consider offering Skilled Worker visa sponsorship to suitably qualified overseas social workers who are already residing in the UK. To be eligible, applicants must hold a recognised social work qualification and be registered with Social Work England. Sponsorship will be assessed as part of the recruitment process. This is only available to candidates currently living in the UK, as unfortunately we are unable to provide resettlement support.

Due to the nature of the role and the geographical area of the service across Somerset, which is a largely rural county, with limitations around public transport the ability to be able to travel to any location is essential. Therefore, applicants must have full access to a vehicle that can be used for work purposes.

We recognise and welcome applications from disabled individuals who may require reasonable adjustments to meet this requirement, and we’re happy to discuss this from the first point of contact with the recruitment team.

For an informal chat about the role, you can contact Helen Readdy, Recruitment and Engagement Officer Adults helen.readdy@somerset.gov.uk

Please note we reserve the right to close this advert early if we have received a sufficient number of applications, so don’t delay, apply today!

Job Description

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Apply on the Somerset Council website