Bromley LINk has now launched it's report on peoples' experiences of leaving hospital.

About 50 LINk members, voluntary and statutory sector representatives attended our launch event for the report on the 27th May at Bromley Town Church.

Attendees heard about why the LINk had decided to do the work, how we planned and carried out our patient survey and how our independent researcher (Colin Beesting) conducted 30 in-depth patient interviews. Colin introduced the key findings from his analysis of all the data we had collected, and South London Healthcare Trust gave a brief response to our recommendations.

A full copy of the report can be found here.

Whilst we found that many patients felt their overrall standard of care was very good, the report also revealed several areas of the discharge process which are not working well at the moment. It therefore contains 11 recommendations across 8 areas of the discharge process, which Bromley LINk will be working with South London Healthcare Trust to implement.

The recommendations are:

• A short & simple leaflet should be made available to patients on admission outlining the ‘housekeeping issues’ on the wards e.g. times of meals, how to call for help, where to get towels for showering, discharge process, including information on the discharge lounge, potential wait for pharmacy, paperwork required, medical certificates required etc.
• When suitable, patients should be issued with a personalised discharge summary for their information. Some suggested elements to include important test results, diagnosis/explanation of what happened, any outpatient appointments required, advice on self-care and/or prevention of reoccurrence, brief medication explanation and schedule, telephone number to call with questions or concerns.
• Investigate the possibility of extending some tests and procedures that are currently only available 5 days a week to 7 days a week. This could dramatically reduce the length of hospital stays over the weekend where well patients are simply waiting. To aid this issue, any tests and investigations that can be done in outpatients should be arranged so that patients can be discharged and return in the week.
• Staff to discuss Estimated Date of Discharge with patient as soon as reasonably possible, explaining that there may be changes and what those changes are dependent on. Discuss daily until actual date of discharge.
• Improve communication between hospital staff and out-of-hospital services by appointing a lead nurse/carer for each patient who has specific responsibility for communications with the patient’s GP and/or community services as appropriate. A standard template letter could be developed to aid the process.

• Ensure all information is shared with patients and carers at the point of discharge. Involve family/friends/carers in discharge planning to ensure they are able and equipped to care for the patient after discharge. Carer needs assessments may be required where long-term care is required.
• Review Occupational Therapists assessment reports to ensure it is clear which equipment is provided and when and what needs to be sourced by the individual.

• Offer information on local providers so that patients and carers can source equipment as necessary - making it clear when and where additional professional assessment and support may be needed.
• Prescriptions should be thought about as early as possible in the discharge planning to limit delays and waiting time. Specific targets should be considered in this area.
• Make available a supply of hospital blankets in the discharge lounge for use when transported by hospital ambulance.
• Improve the visibility of staff in the discharge lounge and the flow of information to ensure that patients are kept informed throughout the process.

If you would like to know more about the report and how the LINk plans to monitor the actions arising from it, or you would like a hard copy, please contact the LINk office.