Leaving hospital report
A key priority for us was understanding people’s experiences as they are being discharged from hospital and what happens once they have left hospital.
A lot of work in the planning of health and care services before and during the Covid-19 pandemic focused on trying to make sure that people don’t stay in hospital any longer than they need to. This was partly initiated by the need to free up beds during the pandemic. But also because it is recognised that prolonged hospital stays can cause loss of independence and deterioration in a person’s health.
Leaving hospital
Between March and May 2022, we carried out a survey with people who had been recently discharged from the hospital or with their family members, to ask about their experiences during and after discharge. The key findings mainly related to people not feeling involved in conversations about discharge, and what happens afterwards. Family carers in particular told us that they often felt that they were not involved in conversations or that their needs were not considered.
Click on the image of the report to read it.
Recommendations
Improve involvement of people in conversations about their discharge at all stages of their hospital journey.
Improve identification of family carers and refer to Carers Leeds for information and support as required.
Ensure that everyone leaving the hospital is given appropriate follow-up contact details for further support and advice.
People's Experience of Hospital Discharge videos
Family members who help look after people being discharged from hospital talk about their experiences.
Kim share’s her experience of the process of her mum Carol being discharged from hospital.
Nicola and Heather share their experience of hospital discharge along with their dad Royston.
Action Plan from Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Key actions
Recruitment of a dedicated discharge workforce to support people being discharged from hospital and development of the Discharge Co-ordinator role along with a dedicated central training and education programme to ensure consistency of application of role.
“Better conversations for better outcomes for patients” – a standard way of working agreed that makes sure that the right questions are asked for every patient at every multi-disciplinary meeting with information fed back to the person being discharged and their family carers.
Development and implementation of a Carers passport and leaflet which helps to identify unpaid carers, find out how they want to be involved and support them to keep being involved in a person’s care.
2 Comments on “Leaving hospital”
I had a mini stroke and Covid . I lost my husband died 7th of February this year. As many others like me struggling to cope. Unable to get appointment with my dentist or see the doctor As there is no longer the staff in this country to millions of other will die sad but true. The N.H S has been on its knees for decades
Hi Aina,
Thank you for your comment. We are sorry to hear that it has been a very difficult year for you. If you would like any advice or information about any of your specific concerns then feel free to get in touch with our advice and enquiry line. You can do this by calling 0113 898 0035 or email info@healthwatchleeds.co.uk