Planning your discharge from hospital (Information for Patients and Carers) Patient s name (printed). Ward Expected date of discharge... Date leaflet issued to patient... Issued by.. Date copy filed into patient s notes.. Author: Patient Inclusion and Experience Lead Department: Quality and Risk Document Number: STHK0652 Version: 1 Review date: April 2021
Introduction We would like to welcome you to St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and assure you that you will be encouraged to be fully involved in decisions made about your care and treatment throughout your stay with us. This leaflet has been designed to help you, your carer, relatives and friends understand how your discharge from hospital will take place, and provide information on how together, we will plan for your discharge from hospital. When can I go home? When you are admitted, you will be given an expected date of discharge to help you begin planning for your return home. This date is determined by discussions with yourself, the doctors, nurses and therapists who are familiar with your current illness based on the treatment you are receiving and the improvement in your health. This date may change during your time in hospital depending on the treatment and tests you need. You will be kept informed of any changes to this date. If you are not sure of your expected date of discharge please ask the nurse in charge of your care for more information. How will you ensure that I am discharged to the right place? We will advise you how to access information, advice and support to help you make decisions about your discharge. This will include helping you to understand your care needs, the process of assessing your needs and the care options available to you. With your permission, we will request assessment(s) to find out what needs you have and the services you might need to be safely discharged from hospital. These assessments could be for ongoing clinical care, social care, support at home or any adaptations/ special equipment you might need once you return home. What if I don t have a safe secure home to go to? If you are homeless, or don t have safe secure housing to return to after your stay in hospital, please talk to a member of staff on the ward who will be able to put you in touch with people who can help. Please let us know as soon as you arrive so that we can help you find a safe place to stay when you are able to be discharged. Page 1
Page 2 How quickly will I be discharged? Once you have received information about the discharge choices that are available to you, we will work with you to make a decision about your destination upon discharge. We will start to work with you from when you are first admitted to hospital to plan your discharge, ready for when the clinical team feel you are able to go home. This will help us to arrange any ongoing care outside of hospital to start as soon as you are declared ready to leave by the clinical team looking after you. If it is likely that you will need 24 hour care after leaving hospital, you may wish to arrange for yourself or a family member to meet with outside care providers whilst you are in hospital. We will do our best to help make this possible for you and you can speak to either a social worker or discharge coordinator about these choices. You may go to intermediate care for ongoing therapy, a temporary care home whilst waiting your preferred choice of home, or a permanent residential or nursing home. Things you could do to help your discharge We try to ensure that patients are discharged as soon as the doctor says they are medically well enough to leave hospital. We will aim for you to leave the ward before 10am. Some patients will transfer from the ward to the transfer lounge at 8am in time for breakfast. The transfer lounge is open from 8am until 7pm. In order to make your discharge as smooth as possible, there is a checklist of essential things that you could help us with while you are getting ready to leave. Getting ready to go home checklist: Please let us know if you need help with any of the following Have you made arrangements for someone to collect you from the hospital to take you home? This may be from the discharge lounge, staff in the discharge lounge can be contacted by calling 0151 426 1600 and asking for ext. 2653 Have you reminded the person collecting you from hospital to bring your outdoor clothes and shoes? Have you organised transport? Have you got a door key to get into your house? Have you made sure that everything is ready for you to go home? E.g. enough food or drinks in the house, the heating is on? Have you informed the ward staff if you require a fit note or other medical certificates? Have you got a contact number to call if you have any concerns after you are discharged? Yes No
Before you leave the ward Any medication you brought into hospital with you will be returned to you before you leave the ward. You will be given a discharge summary, which is a letter that contains details of your hospital treatment and ongoing medication. A copy of this letter will also be sent to your GP. You will be given a small supply of dressings/supplies on discharge (if you need them). Once you have used these up you can request any additional supplies you might need from your GP surgery or District Nursing Team. If you need any additional care or any follow up appointments after you go home, the ward staff will provide you with all the information you need to contact the services you may require. Patient Transfer lounge On the day you are due to leave hospital, you may be transferred to the transfer lounge whilst your medication is being prepared and/or you are waiting for your transport to take you home. If you have not been collected by 10am, a porter will take you to the transfer lounge while you wait to be collected. You will be well cared for in the transfer lounge: refreshments will be available and there is a television and a selection of books. If you need to take medication while in the transfer lounge, staff can administer this to you while you are waiting to leave the hospital. The transfer lounge is situated just behind the main reception area at Whiston Hospital and can be contacted by telephone Patient transfer lounge telephone: 0151 426 1600 ext 2653 Page 3
Final checklist before going home for member of ward staff to complete with the patient being discharged. Have you been given your discharge summary? (A letter that explains what has been happening to you while you have been in hospital) Have you had any medication you brought into hospital returned to you? Have you been given enough information about any changes or new medication you are being given to take home with you? Yes No Signed (staff member) Do you know what they are for and how and when you should take them? Do you understand what the side effects could be? Have you been given enough information about what to expect when you get home? Have you been told what danger signs you should look out for? Have you been given any written information that explains this to you? Are you clear about what will happen next with your care? For example: follow up assessments social care district nursing care other Do you know who to contact if you have any concerns once you have been discharged? If you requested a fit note from the ward staff, have you been given it to take home with you? Page 4
Useful Contact Details Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) TEL: 0151 430 1376 pals@sthk.nhs.uk Pharmacy Helpline TEL: 0151 430 1565 St Helens St Helens Walk-in-Centre/Minor Injuries Unit Corporation Street, WA10 1HJ 01744 627400 Halton Widnes Urgent Care Oaks Place, Caldwell Road, WA8 7GD 0151 495 5000 Knowsley Huyton Urgent Care Centre Nutgrove Villa, L36 6GA 0151 244 3150 Disability Enquiry Line Telephone: 0345 712 3456 Age UK 0800 678 1174 NHS Non Emergency Telephone 111 Page 5
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Whiston Hospital Warrington Road, Prescot, Merseyside, L35 5DR Telephone: 0151 426 1600