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Planning your discharge from hospital

Preparing for discharge

This section contains information for you, your carers and relatives about your discharge from hospital. If there is anything further you need to know, please ask a member of your nursing team.

You might be surprised that from an early stage we encourage you to be involved in planning your discharge. When you are admitted, staff will work together to assess your health and social care needs in preparation for being discharged from hospital. This by no means implies that your treatment will be rushed or ended prematurely. Addenbrooke’s will not discharge you until the medical team treating you has decided that you are well enough to leave.

You need to be aware however, that beds at this hospital are classed as “acute” this means that we encourage patients to leave them as soon as they are well enough to. The majority of patients return home when they are well enough. Some, however, will need one or more of the following additional supports:

• Period of rehabilitation in another hospital

• Temporary or long term placement in a residential home or nursing home

• Carer support at home or day care

• Intermediate care such as Community Occupational Therapist or District Nurse at home

• Outpatient services

• Home adaptations or additional equipment

 

We will assist you in planning your hospital discharge. Shortly after you are admitted the nurse will ask you for some information about your home environment and the support you have. We might seek your permission to refer you to the Discharge Planning Team. A Care Manager or Discharge Planning Sister can then assess your needs and help plan your discharge.

The hospital will try and tell you a day or two in advance of when you can expect to go home.

On the day you leave hospital:

• You will be given a discharge letter or summary for your GP. Your consultant will write to your GP explaining the treatment you have received, current medication and recommendations for your care in the future.

• You will have a supply of medicine from the hospital pharmacy, but you will need to talk to your GP if you need to get further supplies of your medicine.

• If you need to return to an outpatient clinic, the date and time will either be given to you before you leave the hospital or a few days after your return home.

 

Before you go, please:

• Give your nurses an address to which mail can be forwarded

• Make sure you ask the ward clerk for the appropriate certificate of discharge (Med 3 or Med 10) for your employer or the Department of Social Security.

• Make sure you don’t have any hospital linen or clothing

• Return your library books

• Make sure you have collected any belongings from the safe

• Make sure you take all your belongings with you.

If you have been given any crutches or aids to take home with you, please remember to return them to the hospital after you have finished them.

The hospital runs a scheme in partnership with Boots the Chemist so if you have been loaned crutches, walking sticks and frames by the hospital, you can return them to your local Boots store at your convenience.

Equipment may also be returned to your GP.

	Listen to the Addenbrooke's Inpatients guides
	Part 2: Planning your discharge (14 mins)
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	Part 2: Planning your discharge (12.8 MB)