Our Impact: Spotlight on Hospital Discharge Experiences of Patients and Carers

Earlier this year we published our report on the experiences of patients and carers being discharged from Guy’s and St Thomas’ and Kings College Hospital. 

What did patients and carers tell us about their experiences? 

Patients and carers had mixed experiences regarding the co-ordination and communication they received before, during and after their discharge. 

• The discharge process worked best for people who were familiar with hospital processes, able to communicate their needs, and/or had an unpaid carer to support them and communicate with staff on their behalf. 
• Satisfaction with the discharge process was lower for people with social or communication needs, language barriers, and/or additional complex vulnerabilities like disabilities and chronic illnesses making it harder for them to navigate the process and/or access support. 
• Blockages such as lack of coordination between teams, delays in prescribing medication and arranging patient transport also led to more negative experiences. 
• Few people recalled being provided with written information about discharge, but those who did found it helpful. 

What will change as a result of feedback from patients and carers? 

Since sharing our follow-up patient feedback, Guys and St Thomas’ and Kings College Hospital are planning to: 

• Co-design with patients and carers a new video and an Easy Read written resource (digital and in-paper) to explain the discharge process and outline the support services available during and post-discharge. 
• Provide written resources in different languages representing the diversity of the South East London population. 
• Introduce a discharge checklist with care home residents to ensure their transition to the care home is smoother and includes medications. 

How can you help? 

If you or someone in your care have experienced hospital discharge in the last six months from Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust or South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, we encourage you to attend one of the following discharge resource co-design sessions on Wednesday 24 July 2024:

• Online session (MS Teams) at 10:30am-12:00pm (1.5 hours)
• Face-to-face session (160 Tooley Street, SE1 2HZ) at 2:00pm-4:00pm (2 hours)

If you are interested in attending either of these sessions, please complete this online form by Friday 19th July 5pm. If you have any questions about the co-design sessions or the online form, please contact Elizabeth Skelton at Elizabeth.Skelton@selondonics.nhs.uk