Carers priorities for discharge
We recently partnered with the Sussex Integrated Care Board and the Royal Sussex County Hospital to explore carers’ perspectives on the new South East Discharge Toolkit.
The toolkit is designed to support a more joined up approach between hospital staff and patients/ carers in order to plan for smoother transitions of care. It also provides a comprehensive roadmap as to how hospitals can most effectively meet their legislative duties to carers.
As part of this research, we engaged with unpaid carers to understand which elements of the toolkit they felt could make the most impactful difference to their experience of secondary care services.
Many carers shared that having staff who recognise and understand their role made a significant difference to how supported they felt during their hospital journey. These insights lead to the creation of this targeted training for healthcare staff.
Carers stated their experience of secondary care services could be improved by:
- Receiving advance notice of the expected discharge date
- Being given a copy of the discharge plan, including a named contact for post-discharge concerns
- Clear communication about any changes in the patient’s care needs during hospitalisation
- Having transport arrangements discussed and agreed with the carer in advance
- Receiving training on the safe use of any medical equipment provided to the patient