Senior Social Care Assistant

Job Introduction

We are committed to the development of our workforce. This position is only available to applicants who already work for Surrey County Council. We thank you for your interest in our roles and would encourage you to review our vacancies which are open to all.

This full-time position has a starting salary of £34,660 per annum based on a 36 hour working.

This is a secondment opportunity until 31st March 2027. Please discuss with your current Line Manager before submitting your application.

We are excited to be hiring a Senior Social Care Assistant to join our fantastic Adult Social Care Team based at the Royal Surrey County Hospital.

Our Offer to You

• 26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service (pro rata for part-time hours) plus bank holidays
• 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 Role

We are a caring and committed Adult Social Care Team based within the Royal Surrey County Hospital, supporting people who find themselves in need of care and support due to illness, physical disability, frailty or sensory impairment.

As a hospital-based team, we work within a fast-paced multidisciplinary environment alongside doctors, nurses, therapists, discharge coordinators and a wide range of health and community professionals. Developing constructive and effective working relationships with healthcare professionals is fundamental to the role and enables us to support people to achieve safe, timely and well-planned discharges from hospital.

Working alongside health and social care professionals, you will build expertise in Care Act practice, hospital discharge planning, safeguarding, risk assessment and multidisciplinary working, with access to a wide range of learning, development and career progression opportunities.

As a Senior Social Care Assistant at Surrey, you will often be the first point of contact between individuals, families and Adult Social Care, gathering initial information, determining the need for further assessment and signposting people to appropriate services.

Your key responsibilities as a Senior Social Care Assistant will include:

• Supporting adults and their families with care and support needs by working in partnership with healthcare professionals, carers, service providers and community organisations.
• Identifying and arranging services that cater to an individual's needs, fostering independence, choice and control and supporting safe and timely discharges from hospital.
• Undertaking strengths-based assessments and reviews in line with the Care Act 2014, supporting people to maximise their independence and achieve the outcomes that matter most to them.
• Working within Home First and Discharge to Assess pathways, supporting people to leave hospital at the earliest appropriate opportunity and continue their assessment and recovery within a community setting.
• Undertaking community visits following discharge to review packages of care, monitor outcomes and identify whether ongoing support remains appropriate and proportionate to an individual's needs.

You will also play a key role in protecting vulnerable adults who may be experiencing, or be at risk of, abuse or neglect. Working closely with the Royal Surrey NHS Safeguarding Team, ward staff, clinicians and other partner agencies, you will identify safeguarding concerns, undertake enquiries and support safeguarding activity in accordance with Section 42 of the Care Act 2014. You will be expected to gather and analyse information, assess and manage risk and work proactively with individuals, families and professionals to ensure people are protected from harm.

You will have a significant positive impact on the lives of people during periods of illness, crisis and transition whilst offering an excellent opportunity to further develop your professional knowledge, skills and experience within a fast-paced hospital social care environment.

Your Application

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

• Ability to empathise and show compassion towards individuals in need of care and support
• Experience of working with people who have a range of complex care and support needs, including physical disabilities, cognitive impairment and age-related conditions, undertaking strengths-based assessments, home visits and support planning
• Working knowledge of the Care Act 2014 and how it impacts adult social care practice
• Understanding of safeguarding principles and the application of Section 42 safeguarding enquiries
• Experience of working collaboratively with healthcare professionals, carers, families and partner organisations
• Ability to undertake proportionate risk assessments and make sound, defensible decisions within a fast-paced environment
• Knowledge or experience of Hospital Discharge, Home First and Discharge to Assess pathways
• Ability to take initiative and adapt to shifting priorities in a dynamic environment
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to convey information clearly, concisely and respectfully, both verbally and in writing

Surrey has both urban and rural areas and candidates 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.

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 28.10.2026 with interviews planned to follow.

Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description and our Life at Surrey Handbook to get an insight into working at Surrey.

We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.

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 Edward Parker, Team Manager, by email at edward.parker@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 1 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 West 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 shortlisting criteria as displayed on the advert, 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.

Attached documents:

• BM-2016-182 - PS7 - Senior Social Care Assistant.pdf - Senior Social Care Assistant - Job Description

Salary

£34,660 - £36,943 per annum

Working conditions

Contract: Secondment N/A

Working hours: 36 hours per week