Specialist Palliative Care Social Worker (Maternity Cover)

At St Luke’s, every role helps us provide compassionate, person\-centred palliative and end\-of\-life care. We’re looking for a Specialist Palliative Care Social Worker to join our multidisciplinary team and make a meaningful difference for patients with life\-limiting illness, and for the families, carers and communities around them.

We seek to employ, engage with, and care equally for all we encounter—striving to make our services and workplace free from barriers, and our attitudes free from prejudice, treating everyone as a unique individual.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a 12 month fixed term position to cover maternity leave. Ideally starting August 2026\.

About the role

You will provide a specialist social work service within palliative care, offering assessment, guidance and support to people living with life\-limiting conditions and to those important to them. Working across inpatient, outpatient and community settings, you’ll act as a key social work resource within the Hospice—bringing expert advice and intervention to support holistic care, including safeguarding and legal frameworks such as the Mental Capacity Act (MCA), best\-interest decision\-making and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

Key responsibilities

• Manage a complex and sometimes unpredictable caseload, prioritising need and risk across hospice and community settings.


• Undertake holistic assessments considering social, emotional, psychological, spiritual, cultural, financial and practical needs.


• Provide direct therapeutic and supportive interventions to individuals, families and carers (1:1, family or group work, as appropriate).


• Support people affected by loss, grief and bereavement, including around end\-of\-life care.


• Contribute to discharge planning, transitions of care and joint working with statutory and voluntary services.


• Provide advocacy and guidance relating to benefits, housing, financial support and access to services.


• Offer safeguarding advice and support to colleagues; apply MCA/DoLS and safeguarding frameworks in day\-to\-day practice.


• Work effectively within the multidisciplinary team (MDT), contributing to meetings, handovers and case discussions.


• Maintain accurate records and contribute to audit, service evaluation, research and quality improvement.

• Qualified Social Worker with current registration with Social Work England.


• Experience of working with complex cases and multi\-agency partners, using sound professional judgement in fast\-changing situations.


• Strong knowledge and practical experience of safeguarding, risk assessment and relevant legal frameworks including the MCA and DoLS.


• Excellent communication skills, including confidence working in sensitive and emotionally distressing situations.


• A commitment to person\-centred, culturally competent practice that respects diversity, rights and dignity.


• Ability to work autonomously while collaborating effectively as part of an MDT.


• Commitment to ongoing professional development, supervision and reflective practice.

At St. Luke’s, we offer more than just a job – we offer a fulfilling career where you can truly make a difference. In addition to a supportive work environment, we provide opportunities for ongoing training and development, a competitive benefit package, and a chance to be part of a compassionate and dedicated team.

• A supportive, values\-led hospice environment where you’ll be encouraged to act as an ambassador for St Luke’s.


• Close working within a skilled multidisciplinary team across hospice and community services.


• Opportunities to contribute to service improvement, audit and research activity.


• Access to supervision, appraisal and continuing professional development.

Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity \& Inclusion (EDI):

The job\-holder can expect to work in a space that is free from barriers and attitudes that are free from prejudice: *We seek to employ, engage with, and care equally for all we encounter; striving to make our employment, volunteering, events and services free from barriers, and our attitudes free from prejudice, and treating everyone as a unique individual, providing the best experience that we can for each person.*

Our values embody our way of working, they are Caring, Respectful, and Pioneering. Working for St Luke’s offers a real opportunity to make a difference to local people.

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