Adults Senior Social Worker - Epsom General Hospital

This role has a starting salary of £49,464 per annum based on a 36 hour working week.

Following a promotion within the team, we are looking to recruit a permanent full-time Senior Social Worker to join our fantastic, and award winning, Adult Social Care team based at Epsom General Hospital. The role offers hybrid working, however there is the expectation to be in the office at least 3 days a week, in line with our Team Charter, to support hospital discharges. 

Our team covers the hours of 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and 8am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday, however the successful applicant will not be expected to work weekends. Currently our Senior Social Workers work Monday to Friday. 

• 26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• A generous local government salary related pension 
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year 
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing 
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
• Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping
• A chance to make a real difference to the lives of our residents

About the Team

We are a busy and diverse team, managing hospital discharges across two sites. We carry out Care Act assessments and support planning, often following through the Discharge to Assess (D2A) framework pathway. The complexity of our work varies greatly, supporting all adult patients of the hospital who are Surrey residents with a need for care and support. We always strive to get people back home, through a strengths-based and person-centred approach, and support them to live their best lives. 

When joining us, you will receive regular supervision, management support, training opportunities, and peer-to-peer learning, all of which will promote your own professional growth and development. You will become part of a strong and wonderful team that supports each other and works closely with our acute hospital health colleagues, enabling a positive and collaborative approach to our work. 

About the Role 

Your work will include carrying out Care Act assessments, undertaking Mental Capacity Act assessments and leading on Best Interest Decisions, screening residents for Continuing Healthcare, and completing safeguarding work. As a Senior Social Worker, you will be allocated work that may present with a higher level of complexity and challenge however your existing experience means you are ready to face that challenge.

You will work in close partnership with Hospital NHS colleagues, including supporting Discharge to Assess arrangements, attend Multi‑Disciplinary Team meetings on the wards, and work directly with adults, their carers, advocates and families to support them through the hospital discharge process.

You will also work closely with Adult Social Care Connect2Community, Area Hub and specialist teams, as well as with community health services, charities and voluntary organisations. Your application will need to demonstrate your ability to balance working independently, supporting your colleagues, and positively contributing to a multi-disciplinary approach with discharge planning.

You will be expected to supervise staff and to support the management team with developing the team's skills and knowledge through reflective sessions alongside day-to-day support. There will be opportunities to further develop your management skills by attending multi-disciplinary meetings and taking on some managerial tasks to cover periods of leave.

This role offers an excellent opportunity to further develop your skills by promoting strengths‑based and person‑centred practice that is legally compliant, while supporting residents to be discharged from an acute hospital setting in a safe and timely way.

Shortlisting Criteria

In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our  behaviours :

• Professional qualification in Social Work and current registration with Social Work England.
• Knowledge and experience of current legislation, including the Care Act and the Mental Capacity Act, and the application of this to practice in a social care setting.
• Knowledge and experience in carrying out safeguarding enquiries, carrying out assessments within the hospital and/or community and working with a diverse group of individuals and partner agencies.
• Experience of supporting non-qualified or less experienced members of staff with their development.
• Commitment to your own professional development.

Surrey has both urban and rural areas and locality based social care workers will be expected to have a valid driving licence to drive in the UK and access to a vehicle and be willing to travel across a wide geographical area. Reasonable adjustments where needed will be made for successful applicants who have a disability or long-term health condition to enable them to fulfil the requirements of the job.

To apply, we request that you submit a CV and you will be asked the following 2 questions:

1. What three qualities do you have that would make you a good Senior Social Worker and how do these qualities support Surrey County Council's culture of collaboration, inclusivity, and adaptability?
2. Why is ongoing staff development important and what would you do to promote this across the team?

Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description & Our  Life at Surrey handbook to get an insight into working at Surrey. 

An enhanced DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children's and Adults' Barred List checks will be required for this role.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 01/11/2026 with interviews taking place on Tuesday 10th and Wednesday 11th November.

Contact Us

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment. 

For an informal discussion please contact Michael May or Barbara MacKenzie, Team Manager, at View email address on surreycc.gov.uk or View email address on surreycc.gov.uk .

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation and will move to new authorities in April 2027. This role is currently employed by Surrey County Council and will remain so until then. If you are employed by Surrey County Council on 1st April 2027, your employment will transfer under TUPE arrangements to one of the new councils, with your current terms and conditions protected. The provisional allocation for this post is East Surrey Council, subject to final confirmation through the wider transition process later this year. Please see more information here:  Information for applicants on Local Government Reorganisation - Surrey County Council . 

Our Commitment

We are a disability confident employer which means if you have shared a disability on your application form and have evidenced you meet the minimum criteria, we guarantee you an interview. 

Your skills and experience truly matter to us. From application to your first day, we're committed to supporting you with any adjustments you need, we value inclusion and warmly welcome you to join and help build a workplace where everyone belongs.