Enter & View Report - Safely Home after Discharge

Summary

In 2014 Healthwatch England began a Special Inquiry into the issues surrounding discharge from health and social care settings. 3,230 people shared their experiences through 101 local Healthwatch. In order to fully contribute to Healthwatch England’s Special Inquiry, Healthwatch Stockport re-established its Discharge Subgroup to collect and evaluate information around local discharge procedures. Details of these experiences from Stockport residents including older people, homeless people, and people with mental health conditions were presented to Healthwatch England.

Healthwatch England reviewed all the data and classified I into various themes based on the concerns expressed by the individuals and this led them to build a clear understanding of the discharge process. Findings of the Healthwatch England report are presented on their website

Healthwatch Englands national enquiry report

Key Findings

1. The majority of patients had been told the day before that they would be discharged the following day.

2. More than 50% of the GPs who responded said they were unaware of the prescribed period for receiving the patient’s Discharge Summary. Most do not feel they receive the information in a timely manner.

3. For patients waiting a long time for Discharge Medication or not getting it before going home blame is usually attributed to the Pharmacy Department but in reality is due to the late arrival of Discharge Prescriptions.