All patients who are admitted to hospital as in-patients either as emergency or elective admissions will be given a leaflet called Hospital Information for Patients Leaflet (HIP). The leaflet communicates in 9 simple steps what patients can expect to happen from arrival to discharge. Keeping well and those all-important useful contacts are included.
Working together in planning your discharge
At Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust we are committed in our efforts to keep you or your relatives/carers involved in your discharge plans from the day you are admitted to hospital.
We want you to be part of this process to avoid the sudden discharge you may have experienced in the past. You will be encouraged to ask questions about your care at all times. We would encourage you to discuss your treatment with the nursing and medical staff, so you know what is planned for you. If you think you may need help at home on discharge please let us know immediately so we can plan for this.
If you or your relative cannot return home but require a move to a nursing or residential placement, we will work with you and Social Services in helping you to find a new home. We know that you will understand that hospital beds must be prioritised for patients who are sick, hence patients who are medically fit to leave the hospital should do so as soon as possible. Occasionally if there is a sudden influx of emergency patients or a major incident, discharge may be sooner than originally planned, but this will only ever happen if your doctor considers it to be safe.
Effective discharge planning also enables your relatives to plan their working week so they can collect you to take you home on discharge. This should be during the day, preferably in the morning, especially, during the winter months when it becomes dark much earlier in the day.