Discharge latest: Making sure patients are home safe for Christmas
Staff at Barts Health NHS Trust hospitals are doing everything they can to make sure patients can be safely discharged home before Christmas.
We care about our patients. Our patients will only be discharged from hospital when they are well enough.
The Trust is today asking families and friends to prepare their homes if a loved one is ready to leave hopsital.
Healthcare teams will seek to discharge patients to the best place for recovery, at home or in a community setting.
Nobody wants to be away from their home during Christmas, and while our staff will do everything possible to support patient experience on Christmas Day, there is no substitute for being back at home healthy over the festive period.
Some people may not need any help when they get home this week, but for those who do, our teams will make sure that the right support is in place. It is best for people’s health and wellbeing to be treated away from hospital, ideally in their own home, when medically safe to do so.
Trust staff at our hospitals and Integrated Discharge Hubs are working alongside health partners across North East London, to do everything they can to discharge patients safely before Christmas.
This includes the Newham Integrated Discharge Hub, set up in response to Covid-19, to support residents rapidly, safely and securely in their discharge from hospital.
Gill Parry, Discharge team manager at Newham Hospital, said: “The implementation of the Integrated Discharge Hub has provided an opportunity for staff from different organisations to come together and work in partnership in a way that wasn't possible previously.”
“This has led to a joined-up coordinated approach to discharging patients from hospital.”
“The approach has enabled the identification of need and barriers to care, at a much earlier stage in the process – facilitating better discharges with positive outcomes for patients, their families and carers.”
We appreciate that the discharge process will be different for those currently receiving inpatient care in one of Barts Health NHS Trust’s mental health or dementia units, but across the NHS we are keen for people to be in the place that's right for their recovery this Christmas.
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