Leaving Hospital After Your Stay

Patient and Carers Information

Royal Albert Edward Infirmary

Leaflet Number: KA Dis 001

Version: 9

Name of Leaflet: Leaving hospital after your stay

Date Produced: February 2019

Review Date: February 2021

Introduction

From the time you are admitted to hospital, your medical team and members of the multidisciplinary care team will be planning your discharge with you and/or your carer. This dedicated team will assess when you are likely to go home and inform you of your expected date for discharge, which will be reviewed daily by the team looking after you. Discussion and involvement with you and/or your carer will involve finding out what support you will require when you are fit to leave hospital.

The team involved with your care will involve you and/or your carer in decisions about your care and treatment. Please ask if you have any concerns. So that we can give you the best possible assistance, please inform us of any help or care you are currently receiving. This will enable the team to plan for your discharge home. If you have concerns that you may not be able to cope at home following discharge, please ask to speak to a member of the team looking after you. This will assist us with planning your discharge and we will be able to speak with you about the various options of support that can be arranged for you on discharge.

Who decides when I am ready to leave hospital?

This decision is made by the medical team, nursing staff, and therapists looking after you following discussion with you and/or your carer. If you have any worries or concerns, please ask to speak with a member of the team if you would like to know about your diagnosis and treatment. Please do not go home and worry. Most problems can be addressed by talking to ward staff before you leave hospital. If you have concerns once you are at home, please contact your GP or one of the contact numbers within this leaflet.

What do I need to think about before I go home?

• Have I arranged transport home? Ambulances are for those who have a medical reason or are unable to access any other form of transport.
• Do I have a key or is there someone at home to let me in?
• Have I got suitable clothing, shoes, and a coat that is suitable for the time of year?
• Is there enough food in the house and does the heating need to be switched on?
• Have I or the ward staff informed my relatives/carers of the date for discharge?
• Do I need any medical forms completing, e.g., private insurance/health insurance? Please ask in advance prior to the day of discharge.

What can I expect on the day of discharge?

You will be given a letter that informs you of the medication that you will need to take following discharge, a supply of medication, the medical plan, and any follow-up appointments. A letter will be sent to your GP electronically or, if your GP is not on the system, then we will ask if you can deliver this. In the event you are not able to deliver the letter, we will post it on for you.

You may be transferred to the discharge lounge whilst you await transport or medication; this area is managed by registered nurses and healthcare assistants. It is a comfortable environment which accommodates patients who need to be transferred either in a bed or are able to sit in a chair. Meals and drinks are provided throughout the day. The discharge lounge is open 8:30am to 8:30pm Monday to Friday and 10:00am to 6:00pm at weekends and bank holidays. The telephone number is 01942 778773.

Ward staff or the discharge lounge will provide you with any out-patient appointments. If they are unable to do so on the day of discharge, these will be sent to you in the post. Some appointments may also be sent to you by text message.

What do I need to check before I go home?

• Have there been any changes to my medication? Ask the ward staff about the potential side effects of any new medication.
• Have I any follow-up out-patient appointments?
• Have I got all the information I need before I go home?
• Have support services been arranged? e.g., district nurses, community matron, care package
• Have I got a key for entry into my home?
• Have I arranged my own transport?

Other Information

Medication Information Service

Our medication information service is part of the Pharmacy Department but belongs to a UK-wide network of specialist practitioners. We provide a bespoke service to nurses, doctors, and patients about medicines and their use. The service runs Monday to Friday 9:00am to 5:30pm and deals with wide-ranging enquiries, for example:

• Doses of medication
• Selecting a treatment
• Side effects and how to manage them
• Adjustments to medications in organ failure
• Drugs in pregnancy and breastfeeding
• Sourcing unusual or unlicensed medicines
• Electrolyte replacement
• Information that is not covered in the information leaflet that comes with most medications

If you have a query about your medicines that:

• Has not been answered during your stay
• Cannot be addressed by your GP or community pharmacist
• Is not covered in the patient information leaflet that comes with most medications

Outside these hours, a secure answer machine will record your calls and these will be returned as soon as possible. The contact details for the Medicine Information service are telephone: 01942 822466 or you can email:

• Pharmacist Simon Langridge at simon.langridge@wwl.nhs.uk
• Pharmacy Technician Claire Warburton at claire.warburton@wwl.nhs.uk

Telephone Follow-Up Calls

Following your discharge from hospital and with your consent, an Intermediate Care Coordinator would like to contact you and/or your carer via telephone within 48 hours to complete a simple questionnaire regarding your discharge. This will enable you to address any worries or concerns you may have and help us with improving our hospital discharge service.

Useful Contact Numbers

• Integrated Discharge Team: 01942 822117
• District Nurse: Please contact your Clinic
• Palliative Care Team: 01942 822008
• Single Point of Access: 01942 822643
• The Carers Support Team: 01942 705959
• Community Link Worker: Please contact GP
• Continuing Healthcare Team: 01942 482874

Comments, Compliments or Complaints

The Patient Relations/Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) Department provides confidential on-the-spot advice, information, and support to patients, relatives, friends, and carers.

Contact Us: Tel: 01942 822376 (Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm)

The Patient Relations/PALS Manager
Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust
Royal Albert Edward Infirmary
Wigan Lane
Wigan WN1 2NN

Ask 3 Questions

Become more involved in decisions about your healthcare. You may be asked to make choices about your treatment. To begin with, try to make sure you get the answers to three key questions:

1. What are my options?
2. What are the pros and cons of each option for me?
3. How do I get support to help me make a decision that is right for me?

How We Use Your Information

For details on how we collect, use, and store the information we hold about you, please take a look at our “how we use your information” leaflet which can be found on the Trust website: http://www.wwl.nhs.uk/patient_information/leaflets/

This leaflet is also available in audio, large print, braille, and other languages upon request. For more information, please ask in department/ward.

© Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced in whole or in part without the permission of the copyright owner.