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Staying in hospital

Going home

The staff looking after you will work together to make a plan for when you leave hospital. This is sometimes called “being discharged”. A social worker will be included in these discussions, if needed.

Your hospital discharge

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You will be given an estimated day of discharge – this is the expected date that you will be well enough to leave hospital. Please note that this date may change, but you will be kept informed if it does, as well as the reasons why.

On the day you leave

On the day you leave hospital, we will aim for you to leave as early as possible. We don’t want to keep you in hospital any longer than necessary.

On leaving hospital, you will be given:

  • a discharge summary – this is a letter that includes details of your treatment and any ongoing medication, which will also be send to your GP
  • up to seven days of medication, if needed (a member of the team will discuss with you how to take your medication and any possible side effects)

While you wait to be picked up from hospital, you will be transferred to our Same Day Discharge Centre. This is a comfortable area where you will continue to receive nursing care, as well as food and refreshments.

Support after your stay

During your stay, we may ask you some questions to ensure that when you go home, you have the right support in place.

This could be about:

  • where you live, including how accessible your home is and how many stairs you have to climb
  • whether you have relatives or friends who can support you during your recovery

We may ask about any help you get from social services or community health professionals such as district nurses. This conversation will also help us understand whether any referrals need to be made for you, for example to community services, which we can arrange.

Who to contact for help once you have left hospital

Your care will be transferred back to your GP once you have been discharged from hospital.

However, if you have any issues when you leave hospital, please contact the Care Coordination Team on 01902 443 322. They’re available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The team can also signpost you to other local services that can help.

In some cases, you may be able to contact your ward for support with your follow-up care. If this is the case, details will be included in your discharge letter.

If you need urgent care, use NHS 111 or dial 999 for an emergency.

Frequently asked questions