Leaving hospital

At CHS, we place a lot of importance on planning your care for after you leave hospital, this is known as planning for your discharge.

During your stay staff will speak to you about plans for your discharge. This can be to your usual home or to a nursing or residential care home. This discussion is essential so that all the necessary help and care can be put into place in good time before you are ready to leave. You will not be discharged from hospital until your medical team feel that you are ready and your treatment is complete.

There are social workers available in the hospital to help you cope with any problems and give support or advice regarding your discharge. If you or your relatives have any anxieties about managing at home, or questions regarding benefits, please ask a nurse to arrange for a social worker to visit you on the ward.

They are also available to liaise with care managers in the community if this is necessary. 

What will happen before I leave hospital?

The staff will ask you about your home and whether you have relatives or friends who will be able to support you during your recovery.

They will also ask you about any help or support which you currently receive from social services or community health professionals, such as district nurses.

The aim is to make sure all the services you need are in place before you leave hospital, including any extra help you may need after your illness or operation.
If you need to go to a nursing home or residential home after your stay in hospital, all the options will be discussed with you and your family before any decisions are made.

You can ask to see the hospital discharge co-ordinator to assist you in this process.

What happens on the day I leave hospital? 

Where possible we will arrange for you to be discharged early in the day to allow you plenty of time to get to wherever you are going.

When you are ready to leave you may be asked to wait in the discharge lounge.

The lounge has a large number of comfortable chairs. Hot and cold meals can be delivered and hot drinks are available. Medication to take out (TTOs) can also be delivered to the lounge; the ward staff will ensure that the staff are aware if you need to wait for medicines. There is a television and plenty to read while you are waiting.

A qualified nurse and a health care assistant are there to care for you and the lounge is open from 8am to 8pm.

Checklist for discharge:

• Please make arrangements for someone to collect you early in the morning, or advise them to meet you in the discharge lounge

• Ensure you have any medicine that you need and that your nurse has explained when to take it and what it is for

• Inform your doctor or a member of the nursing team if you require a medical certificate

• Make sure you know the date and time of any follow-up outpatient appointment if you need one

• Remind whoever is collecting you to bring clothes for you to go home in

• Ensure you get any valuables or money you may have handed in for safekeeping

• Please make sure you have your house keys.

Follow-up

When you leave hospital you may be given important information, such as:

• An outpatient appointment letter

• A discharge letter for your family doctor

• A medical certificate for your employer

You will also be given:

• Any prescribed medicines

• Your personal belongings

• Any valuables that were kept in the safe.

The ward team will provide you with information about looking after yourself at home and about any medicines you have been prescribed.

Transport

We want to make sure hospital transport continues to be available for those with a genuine need so we will only book transport where your medical condition makes it impossible for you to travel to and from hospital by any other means.
Hospital transport is not available for any other purpose and we cannot give lifts to family and friends.

We will ask you to arrange your own transport home wherever possible.