Manager Command Centre, Social Work & Discharge Planning

Halton Healthcare’s vision of Exemplary patient experiences, always, goes beyond just the patient experience; it has shaped our entire culture and remains at the core of every interaction in our organization, from our patients & families to our staff, physicians and volunteers. We believe in exemplary PEOPLE experiences always!

At Halton Healthcare you will thrive in a healthcare culture and environment that embraces inclusion, diversity and belonging with ‘exemplary patient care, always’ at the heart of everything we do.

We empower our people to be the very best they can be so they can make a difference for our patients and the communities we serve.

Halton Healthcare takes great pride in providing quality, compassionate healthcare services to our rapidly growing communities. As a progressive and vibrant healthcare organization, we are committed to being an innovative center of excellence in community hospital care.

Job Description

The Manager, Social Work/Discharge Planning and Command Centre provides operational and people leadership for Social Work and Discharge Planning and Patient Flow services across Halton Healthcare, with a focus on advancing safe, timely, coordinated transitions of care and supporting organizational patient flow priorities. The role works collaboratively with clinical inpatient programs, all programs represented within the Command Centre, Ontario Health atHome, community partners, patients, families, and interprofessional teams to support timely access to care, oversee the efficient movement of patients from admissions and transfers to discharges, improve ALC performance, strengthen discharge planning processes, and support consistent, patient-centered care transitions.

The Manager provides leadership to the Social Work and Discharge Planning, and Command Centre teams, supports standardization of role expectations and workflows, promotes team effectiveness, and advances quality improvement, documentation, and communication practices. The role contributes to operational planning, performance monitoring, and system-level problem-solving to identify and address systematic barriers to patient movement to improve patient flow, total length of stay and ALC outcomes.

• Provide day-to-day leadership, coaching, supervision, and support to Social Work, Discharge Planning and Command Centre staff, fostering a collaborative, accountable, psychologically safe, and patient-centered team environment.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, orientation, scheduling, payroll processes, performance development, attendance management, and annual performance reviews in alignment with Human Resources processes, collective agreements, hospital policies, and professional standards.
• Promote professional practice, continuous learning, quality improvement, and full scope of practice for Social Work and Discharge Planning staff.
• Support consistent operational responses to complex discharge planning situations, challenging conversations, ethical issues, patient/family concerns, and interdisciplinary conflict resolution, in collaboration with appropriate clinical and interprofessional partners.
• Ensure compliance with mandatory education, hospital policies, occupational health and safety requirements, professional standards, and applicable collective agreements.
• Respond to patient, family, staff, and partner concerns related to discharge planning or social work services, escalating significant risks or issues as appropriate. 
• Foster strong working relationships with Clinical Inpatient and Clinical Support Service programs, Directors, Physicians, Managers, Professional Practice, Ontario Health atHome, and community partners to support coordinated care and shared accountability for discharge outcomes.

• Provide operational leadership for Social Work and Discharge Planning processes that support safe, timely, coordinated patient transitions from hospital to home, community, congregate settings, rehabilitation, complex continuing care, or other appropriate destinations.

• Lead the standardization and optimization of discharge planning workflows across sites and programs, including consistent documentation, escalation, communication, and follow-up practices.

•  Provide operational leadership for Joint Discharge Operations processes by coordinating program-level tracking, documentation, and barrier resolution, to improve transparency, shared accountability, and timely discharge planning.
• Advance ALC performance through active patient tracking, timely identification and resolution of discharge barriers, accurate documentation of ALC status changes, and collaboration with inpatient teams to support throughput.
• Partner with inpatient leadership, Social Work/Discharge Planning staff, Ontario Health atHome, community providers, and other stakeholders to address gaps in transitions of care and improve coordination for patients with complex health, social, functional, financial, housing, caregiver, or psychosocial needs.
• Support consistent approaches to early discharge planning, complex care coordination, family meetings, goals of care discussions, substitute decision-maker engagement, and navigation of community resources.
•  Oversee discharge planning processes to support patient- and family-centered care by ensuring staff incorporate patient goals, caregiver capacity, health equity considerations, psychosocial needs, and safe transition planning into discharge coordination.
• Monitor, analyze, and use operational data to identify trends, barriers, risks, and opportunities for improvement in discharge planning and patient flow.

• Collaborate with Performance Analytics, the Command Centre, and clinical leaders to improve data quality, tracking tools, reporting dashboards, and operational visibility related to ALC, discharge barriers, and patient flow.
• Identify and escalate significant operational, patient safety, ethical, legal, reputational, or system risks related to complex discharges, delayed transitions, or gaps in community supports.
• Contribute to organizational priorities related to access and flow, person-centered care, operational efficiency, digital innovation, and reducing avoidable hospital days.

• Coordinate and maintain oversight of daily bed meetings and facilitate tri-site and surge meetings
• Lead monthly Command Centre huddles and weekly Patient Flow Navigator huddles
• Attend and report out to Ontario Health Central Situational Awareness Table
• Lead the standardization and optimization of patient flow and surge workflows across sites and programs, including consistent communication, escalation and follow-up practices.
• Coordinate patient flow navigators to support internal and external patient admissions, transfers and discharges to ensure all patients are admitted and referred to the most appropriate services for their clinical needs and resolve and expedite patient flow issues as they arise
• Monitor, escalate and support timely patient care and quality through oversight and trending of data analytics related to admissions, discharges, no bed admissions, use of unconventional and surge spaces across all sites
• Collaborate with Emergency Department and Inpatient Managers to identify process improvement strategies to improve the current system and reduce patient length of stay
• Identify key reports for clinical program leaders to identify patient activity trends, bed utilization and manage surges in patient volumes
• Identify and communicate system issues related to patient flow for clinical managers to action
• Appropriately facilitate and escalate patient flow issues and address incidents identified related to Command Centre
• Expedite, prioritize, synchronize and mediate patient flow barriers
• Review and respond in real time to clinical indicators for patient care delays
• Track, prioritize and facilitate key admission and discharge related workflow activities
• Oversee program members within the Command Centre to ensure activities are in alignment with the Command Centre’s objectives

Qualifications

• Current membership in good standing with a regulatory health professional body in Ontario. 

• An undergraduate degree in a health-related profession; a master’s degree is preferred. 

• 5-10 years of recent experience in a healthcare setting, with a focus on transitions of care between hospital and community settings. 

• 2–3 years of management or people leadership experience, including supervising interdisciplinary teams, staff development, and performance management. 

• Experience working in community health programs, including liaison roles with primary care and home care providers. 

• Previous experience in case management, care coordination, or discharge planning in hospital or community care environments. 

• Demonstrated expertise in chronic disease management, complex care coordination, and addressing the needs of frail or high-risk populations. 

• Proven experience in program implementation and evaluation, with a strong focus on quality improvement and resource development. 

• Comprehensive knowledge of community resources and health care delivery systems, particularly in transitions of care from acute to community settings, within internal clinical programs 
• Demonstrated expertise in identifying and addressing systemic barriers

• Strong understanding of patient-centered care principles and holistic care approaches. 

• Knowledge of collaborative practices to build partnerships with hospital teams, primary care providers, and community stakeholders. 

• Familiarity with health system priorities, including Ontario Health Teams and community integration initiatives. 

• Proven ability to lead multiple interdisciplinary teams, support team development, and foster a collaborative work environment. 
• Exceptional analytical and information-seeking skills that contribute to effective decision-making and strategic planning and execution of action plans that deliver results and motivate individuals for greater performance excellence

• Strong leadership and change management skills, including problem-solving, critical thinking, conflict resolution, and negotiation abilities. 

• Adaptability and a commitment to working in evolving programs with shifting priorities and responsibilities. 

• Exceptional time management and the ability to perform effectively under pressure. 
• Self-directed, highly motivated with excellent interpersonal, communication, organizational and decision-making skills

• Fluency in English (verbal and written); proficiency in additional languages is an asset. 

• Proficiency in electronic medical record (EMR) systems; experience with Hospital Information Systems (ie: EPPIC, Meditech Expanse, etc.) and CHRIS is preferred.

• Strong computer literacy, including proficiency in Microsoft Office and data management tools. 

Additional Information

Hours:  Monday to Friday; 7.5 hour days (Hours are subject to change based on operational needs)

Salary:  $66.122 to $82.639 per hour

Date Posted:  August 27, 2026

Internal application deadline : September 3, 2026

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Halton Healthcare is an equal opportunity employer who is committed to integrating diversity, equity and inclusion throughout our operations, policies and culture. If you are passionate about what you do, motivated by a job well done, and as committed to excellence, quality and patient satisfaction as we are, we'd like to hear from you. Please attach your current resume directly to this posting.

Please note that while this job is posted on Halton Healthcare's career page, it may also appear on third-party job boards. These external platforms may use automated tools, including artificial intelligence, for candidate screening and matching. We do not control or influence these processes. To ensure your application is reviewed by our team, we recommend applying directly through our Halton Healthcare careers site.

We thank all those who apply but only those individuals selected for further consideration will be contacted.

Halton Healthcare is committed to providing accommodations for applicants with disabilities. In accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and the Ontario Human Rights Code, Halton Healthcare will provide accommodations throughout the recruitment and selection process. If you require an accommodation, we will work with you to meet your accommodation needs to ensure your equal participation.

The Ontario Public Hospitals Act mandates that hospitals establish health surveillance programs for all individuals working within the hospital. This regulation requires proof of immunity for certain diseases and as a result, Halton Healthcare requires all new hires to receive pre-employment medical clearance by our Health, Safety & Wellness team, prior to their start date, as a condition of employment. This includes demonstrating compliance with Halton Healthcare’s Immunization Policies.

All new hires must be fully compliant with our Vaccination Policy as a condition of employment with Halton Healthcare. Successful applicants will be required to provide proof of vaccination or proof of a documented medical exemption as part of the hiring process.

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