Planning your discharge from hospital

Latest government guidance and NHS England Discharge to Assess model (D2A) is in place to support you to leave hospital, when safe and appropriate to do so, and continuing your care and assessment out of hospital. You will be assessed for your longer-term needs in the right setting.

An assessment to discharge will be carried out if you have reached the best condition that can be provided in the hospital and do not need an acute hospital bed but may still need care services that are provided with short term, funded support to be discharged to your own home (where appropriate) or another community setting.

Assessment for longer-term care and support needs is then undertaken in the most appropriate setting and at the right time for you. This does not detract in any way from the need for agreed multi professional assessment or from the requirement to ensure safe discharge and it may work alongside time for recuperation and recovery, on-going rehabilitation or reablement.

More information about discharge to assess can be found at https://www.england.nhs.uk/hospital-discharge-service. 

On the day you are discharged you will be asked to vacate your bed before 10am. Please make sure you have all your belongings, including any valuables from the hospital safe. Have your bag, your key and suitable outdoor wear ready to go home.

If you cannot be collected until later in the day or are reliant on hospital transport, arrangements will be made for you to wait within our discharge facility where you will be looked after by nurses until point of discharge.

We will confirm whether you need any new medications to take home and supply you with these if needed. We will explain your medications to you and identify any side effects and discuss how to obtain further supplies.

An electronic discharge summary will be sent directly to your General Practitioner (GP) to inform them of any medication changes or any new medications, and the treatment you have received as an inpatient.

At the moment, there are very high numbers of seriously ill patients who need to stay in our hospitals for their care and treatment.

When you are well enough to leave hospital, you may still need further tests or investigations. Where possible, we will arrange for this to be provided outside of hospital, for example by your GP (family doctor), a community nurse or other health care professionals.

If you need more tests, or to see your consultant again, we will arrange an outpatient’s appointment for you.

We will make sure that it is safe for you to leave, and that a plan for any care you need is in place. The arrangements for you to be discharged from our hospitals may be made more quickly than usual, however our staff will ensure that the plans being put in place are discussed with you.

Please show this information to your relatives or visitors, and if you or they have any questions or concerns, please speak to the nurse in charge on your ward.

If you want us to contact someone when you are medically optimised for discharge (clinically optimised) and ready to leave the hospital, please let the nursing team know.

We recommend that you only bring property and cash essentials for your immediate needs into hospital and that you hand articles you wish to be kept in safe custody to the ward manager as soon as possible. You will be given a receipt for these. You are responsible for property (including cash) not handed over to safe custody.

We accept no responsibility for loss of, or damage to, personal property of any kind, in whatever way the loss or damage may occur, unless deposited for safe custody.

• Patients who remain in hospital for a long time once they are medically optimised are more likely to develop infection or complications.
• People waiting for procedures may have to have this cancelled if there is no bed available.
• It is not appropriate for you to remain in hospital once your doctor has decided that you are medically optimised for discharge and no longer need acute hospital care.
• People will generally be discharged back to their own home or returned to their care home.
• You may need short-term care to support you to return home.  Reablement providers can provide care and support outside of the hospital if required. This is a short-term home care service that can provide you with the support you need to regain confidence, live safely and independence in your own home.
• You may be transferred to a different ward once you are medically optimised, but still require occupational therapy, physiotherapy, or further assessment.
• You may require further therapy in a community bedded setting, which may not be necessarily local to you, where you will continue to receive nursing and therapy support to enable you to return home.
• You may be discharged to a temporary residential or nursing home for a short length of time so that a further assessment can be completed to determine your longer term needs. 
• Equipment for discharge – if any equipment is necessary for you to return home, delivery will be arranged with your consent, we would ask that a relative or friend is available for delivery at earliest opportunity.  If there is a problem, please discuss with your named nurse or the rehabilitation team on the ward.

If you are receiving care by the SED’s service, find out more about what you can expect and how to contact the team, at our Southend Enhanced Discharge to Assess (SED’s) page.

If you are receiving care by the Bridging service, find out more about what you can expect and how to contact the team, at our Bridging service page.

NHS continuing healthcare means a package of ongoing care that is arranged and funded solely by the National Health Service (NHS) specifically for the relatively small number of individuals (with high levels of need) who are found to have a ‘primary health need'.

NHS continuing healthcare is free, unlike support provided by local authorities, which may involve the individual making a financial contribution depending on income and savings. It is the responsibility of the integrated care board (ICB) to decide the appropriate package of support for someone who is eligible for NHS continuing healthcare.

To find out more, visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/social-care-and-support-guide/money-work-and-benefits/nhs-continuing-healthcare. 

If you are receiving care by the Bridging service, find out more about what you can expect and how to contact the team, at our Hospice rapid access service (RADS) page.

There are lots of organisations out there that may be able to support you once you have been discharged from hospital. 

To find out more, visit our Veteran support contacts page.

As you prepare to go home, you might be thinking about how you will manage.

The hospital will be thinking about what support you might need but you might also get help and support from your family, friends, or a neighbour. If this is the case, then please let them know they can register as a carer with their GP. 

If they register with their GP and Action for Family Carers, they can get the following support:

• Advice on how to look after your own health
• How to look out for sings that caring is having and impact on your health 
• Receive certain vaccinations.

Action for Family Carers has been making a positive difference to the lives of carers and you carers in Essex for over 30 years. Find out more at https://affc.org.uk . 

Do you feel you need extra help and support, perhaps after being discharged from hospital?

Get in touch with your local community hub for support with things such as:

• Shopping.
• Support with energy costs.
• Collecting prescriptions.
• Your wellbeing.

Find you area!

Southend — email homesafesos@savs-southend.co.uk or call 01702 356000.

Thurrock — email adminBYS@thurrockcvs.org or call 07534 413972.

Basildon — email admin@bbwcvs.org.uk or call 01268 294124.

Rochford — email hub@megacentrerayleigh.co.uk or call 01268 779999.

Brentwood — email enquiries@brentwoodcvs.org.uk or call 01277 715080.

Braintree — email C360.socialprescribing@nhs.net or call 01206 505250 during the week or 01206 216611 at weekends.

Maldon — email referrals@maldoncvs.org.uk or call 01621 851891.

Chelmsford — email community@chelmsfordcvs.org.uk or call 01245 280731.

Castle Point — email Wellness@cavsorg.uk or call 01268 214000 during the week or 07808 783304 at weekends.