What happens when you are discharged from hospital? (5 things)
Here’s what you can expect when it is time to leave hospital. All of the below should happen naturally. But as it does not in the hurly-burly flow of a hospital ward, means that you have a role in making sure good things (like below) happen.
1. Discussion
On the day that you are ready to be discharged from hospital, your medical team will discuss this process with you and take you to somewhere called the discharge lounge.
Most people should then expect to be discharged within two hours, although this may take longer if you have more complex requirements for post-discharge care.
You should have been pre-warned about discharge at least 24 hours earlier; so you can contact loved ones to help plan the discharge.
2. Hospital lounge and patient transport
While you are waiting in the hospital discharge lounge, the staff should discuss with you your transport home, any medication you might need; and support with immediate practical measures such as shopping and the turning the heating on, if there is no one at home to help you do this.
3. Future longer-term care
If you need support on the day of your discharge from hospital, this should be arranged by a care coordinator before you leave hospital.
If you may need longer-term care, you should be informed that a health professional will visit you in your home (or other place of discharge), to assess your ongoing healthcare needs after your leave hospital.
If you are able to manage your own recovery without significant additional support from the NHS, this will not be necessary.
4. Discharge summary and medication list
It is important you do not leave hospital without a copy of your discharge summary, and your current medication (making it clear where there have been changes if made). The discharge summary is a paper (and cyber) description of what has happened to you during the admission.
5. Follow up – and medical contact information
Regarding follow-up, make sure:
- You have a follow-up appointment with your consultant within 4 weeks of discharge [“ask for 4 weeks, and you will get 6-8 weeks!” CKDEx Ed].
- Your GP is informed of your discharge. If you think you may need them (or a district nurse) to visit you within 2-3 days of discharge, you need to make sure the ward staff have asked for it.
Before you are discharged, you should be given information about who to contact if you need further health advice or support after leaving hospital. It’s important to know your consultant’s name and the contact details (phone number and email address of their secretary.
What happens after discharge – if you have continuing support needs
If you need ongoing recovery support after discharge, you should be visited in your home by a health professional who will arrange this.
This could include things like:
- Whether any changes are needed to make your home safe and comfortable
- Ensuring there are people to support you and keep you company
- Whether you might need support for daily tasks (e.g. washing, getting dressed, cooking)
- Whether a short-term wheelchair loan would be helpful for you
- Whether you need support taking any medication.
This should happen the day you leave hospital or the day after and this support should then be made quickly available.
Will I face any costs?
Currently, any care and support you receive in your own home will be free for up to six weeks after you leave hospital.
During this time, the team caring for you should assess whether you might need longer-term support and if so, support you to determine your eligibility for further funding.
Readmission
The information below describes a ‘good’ (safe) discharge with little chance of readmission (defined as a return to hospital within 28 days of discharge with the same (or related) problem). When such care is not taken, readmission is a significant issue.
Summary
We have described what happens when you are discharged from hospital (5 things). We hope it has been helpful.
