• Introduction
• How does it work?
• Complaints/Concerns
• Selected links
• Useful Article?

Introduction

After treatment in hospital, you will be discharged when the consultant or health professional who is in charge of your care decides that you are well enough to leave.

Your healthcare professionals will often involve you in planning your discharge. You will be able to discuss your needs, and how they will be met in order to ensure that you have everything that you need for a full recovery when you return home.

Simple discharge

Most people who are discharged from hospital:

• return to their own home, and
• need simple, ongoing care that does not require complex planning.

Healthcare professionals sometimes refer to this as a 'simple discharge'.

Complex discharge

If your care needs are more complicated, your discharge procedure is referred to as a 'complex discharge'. For example, you may:

• have ongoing health and social care needs that require complex planning,
• need community care services when you leave hospital, or
• be discharged to a carer's home, or to a nursing, or residential, home.

As well as hospital staff, your discharge may involve other healthcare professionals, such as your GP, or a district nurse. Organisations outside the NHS may also be involved, for example:

• local authorities, such as city and town councils, which are responsible for providing social services, and
• the independent and voluntary sectors, for example, a privately-run residential, or nursing care, home, or a transport organisation that is run by volunteers.

How does it work?

When you arrive in hospital for your treatment, arrangements for your discharge will begin. Your discharge plan will take into account your requirements and wishes, the wishes of your family or carer and your home circumstances, so that you get the best support when you leave hospital.

As soon as possible, the hospital staff will be able to tell you the date when you should be well enough to go home. You will normally be told a day or two in advance. Your discharge date will be determined mainly by how quickly your health improves and the amount of support you may need on your return home to help you manage. This is all planned in advance, so that leaving hospital need not be delayed unnecessarily.

Leaving hospital can be a difficult experience especially if your hospital stay has been a long one or you are unable to function as you did before. Although you may be keen to return home as soon as possible, it is important that you take the time to plan for your needs upon your return. Some people underestimate the amount of support they may need after they have left hospital but it is better to plan the arrangements in advance than to find yourself without the support you need. 

Hospital staff should keep you fully informed and involved in the decision making process about such matters as:

• what will happen to you during your recovery,·
• who to contact in an emergency,
• if you need ongoing care at home,
• if you need any medical equipment for your return home, and
• if you need your home to be adapted in any way.

Organising transport

You should make arrangements for a friend or relative to collect you. Let the staff know if this is not possible and they will make other transport arrangements for you. Remember to make sure you can get into your house when you go home.

Medication

If you need to take any medication home, you will usually be given enough for the next seven days or less, depending on whether you are finishing a course of antibiotics for example. You will be given a letter with information about this medication to give to your GP. If you need to continue to take this medication for longer, you should arrange to get a repeat prescription from your GP before your hospital supply runs out. Some surgeries require up to 48 hours notice for repeat prescriptions.

Notifying your GP

A letter will be sent to your GP when you leave hospital, giving information about your treatment and future care needs. Your GP will not necessarily visit you at home but if you have any worries, please contact them.

Outpatient appointments

If you need to return to the outpatient department after going home, you will either be given a card with the appointment date on it or one will be sent to you by post, a few days after your return.  Transport will not normally be provided, but if it is required you should discuss this with the hospital or your GP.

Hospital Equipment

If you take a pair of crutches or other equipment home with, you should make sure that they are returned when you no longer need them.

Discharging yourself from hospital

Following treatment, you have the right to discharge yourself from hospital at any time. However, if you are unhappy about staying in hospital until your suggested discharge date, it is advisable to raise your concerns with the hospital staff. Remember, that you may have to continue taking medication or talk to a doctor about your recovery. You should always make sure you have someone to look after you, in case you find you cannot manage at home alone.

Complaints/Concerns

There are a number of reasons why you, your family or carer may not be happy with the arrangements that have been made for your discharge from hospital such as:

• you may feel that you need to remain in hospital for further treatment or to recuperate further,
• you may want to return home earlier than the date you have been given,
• you may not be satisfied with the services that have been arranged for you when you leave hospital, or
• you may not want to be sent to a care home.

You are entitled to ask for a review of any decisions made and to ask for a reassessment of your needs if your circumstances change. If you or your family/carer think that you may not be ready to leave hospital yet, you have the right to ask for your eligibility for continuing in-patient care to be reviewed.

If you are not satisfied with arrangements that have been made for you after you have been discharged, you can make a formal complaint. As with complaints about any medical services you receive from the NHS, you should use Putting this right: Raising a concern about NHS services.

Selected links

• Please ask - information and advice about going into hospital
  (National Safety Patient Agency )