Job summary
We are seeking committed and diligent staff to work as Network Navigators in our Acute Mental Health Wards in Chase Farm Hospital and Dennis Scott Unit (Edgeware Community Hospital) as part of the wider Discharge Hub team. We will discuss preferred location with successful candidates but cannot guarantee choice of placement. The roles are full time and in person with face to face working as a minimum expectation. These roles to work alongside our Patient Flow service and will be part of a wider system of supporting and managing our patient access and flow within the North London NHS Foundation Trust.

Directly reporting to the Discharge Coordinator - you will be assigned to an acute ward and will spend each day operating within the ward, ensuring our 72 hour formulation meetings are in place. Key to this is Linking in with the patient networks and ensuring all actions are completed in order to facilitate the safe discharge of the in-patient population working alongside the ward multi-disciplinary teams. Part of the role also includes patient escorts to discharge related appointments or assessments. Candidate will need to have good IT skills and need to be able to confidently use Electronic Patient Record (EPR), spreadsheets, email and Teams communication and prepare referrals to various internal and external services.

Main duties of the job
Network Navigators will be responsible at ward level for ensuring that each patient's network of care is involved early in admission to inform care planning and timely discharge. They will organise this system around the patient to join key meetings during the admission.

The quality of interaction with patients and those involved in their care will be characterised by an approach that is therapeutic, strengths based, and recovery orientated. The network will include as wide a range of relevant individuals and services as required to support the patient's recovery. This will include carers, community mental health and substance misuse teams, voluntary sector organisations, criminal justice system staff and housing providers where relevant.

The post holders will work closely with Discharge Coordinators and their designated ward(s) to identify individual patient's strengths and barriers to discharge at the earliest opportunity following admission. They will work with the clinical teams involved to ensure timely resolution of barriers to ensure patients are discharged when they are clinically ready. Facilitating the contribution of carers is a key activity.

About us
North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) is committed to improving mental health care across North London to deliver excellent services to our local people. Our Five-Year Strategy:

• We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.
• With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all
• We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care.
• We will be more effective as an organisation by pioneering research, quality improvement and technology.

In order to meet the needs of the Trust you may be required from time to time to work at different locations to your normal place of work. This may mean that you are required to work at any location that fall under Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey or Islington. The Trust reserves the right to require staff to work at such other places or locations as it considers reasonable and necessary on a temporary or permanent basis.

Job responsibilities

• Actively participating in multi-disciplinary team discussions to identify the needs of patients that will enable sustainable discharge.
• Working directly with patients to establish details of their network of care.
• To communicate with a range of key stakeholders to establish early care planning meetings.
• To keep the Discharge Coordinator and wider Flow team/system informed of key information related to discharge planning.
• To support other members of the team in ensuring key information is recorded in the EPR and the Patient Flow Tool.
• To have an awareness and understanding of the Mental Health Act (1983) and the Mental Capacity Act (2005)
• To follow all Trust policy relevant to patient care within the roles scope of practice.
• To be able to work and travel across a geographical area.

This job description is written as an indication of the nature and scope of duties and responsibilities. Additional competencies may be required to fulfil the needs of specific areas and client groups. It is not intended as a fully descriptive list and does not include specific skills or therapeutic interventions that may be required of the specialist service area. The job- holder will be expected to carry out other duties assigned by the team, which are appropriate to the grade and the training program.

This is not an exhaustive list, please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification for more information on the role requirements and duties.

Person Specification
Education And Qualifications
Essential

• Diploma in Mental Health Practice or NVQ level 3 or 4 in Mental Health or Evidence of extensive and current paid experience of working with patients with serious mental illness.

Desirable

• Experience of or willing to undertake training in de-escalation or breakaway techniques.

Skills and Ablities
Essential

• Motivated and enthusiastic about working with people living with serious mental illness in an acute setting.
• Digital competence: Outlook, Word, data entry in EPR systems and excel plus internet search capability.
• Demonstrate well developed interpersonal skills.

Experince and Knowledge
Essential

• To be knowledgeable about mental illness and preferred treatment methods and interventions.
• To demonstrate an understanding and/or practical experience of care planning.
• Demonstrate a sound understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with serious mental illness and their carers.

Desirable

• Experience of working in an acute inpatient setting.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.

Employer details
Employer name
North London NHS Foundation Trust

Address
Barnet Division Adult Mental Health
Dennis Scott Unit , Edgware Community Hospital,
Burnt Oak Broadway
HA8 0AD
United Kingdom

Employer's website
https://www.northlondonmentalhealth.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Service Manager
Christina Frew
christina.frew1@nhs.net
07929742802

Details
Date posted
28 September 2026

Pay scheme
Agenda for change

Band
Band 4

Salary
£33,262 to £36,027 a year
per annum including HCAS

Contract
Permanent

Working pattern
Full-time

Reference number
455-NLFT-8204324-C

Job locations
Barnet Division Adult Mental Health
Dennis Scott Unit , Edgware Community Hospital,
Burnt Oak Broadway
HA8 0AD
United Kingdom

Supporting documents
Privacy notice
North London NHS Foundation Trust 's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)