By taking on a few small tasks to help your loved one leave hospital, you’ll also be helping us to free up a hospital bed for another patient.
There’s been plenty of news recently about the problems that hospitals are having with lack of beds – in part due to not being able to discharge patients home in a timely manner.
‘When can I go home?’ is the most common question patients ask, and evidence shows that once patients no longer need hospital care, they recover better at home.
However, despite patients being ready and willing to go home, very often we have not been able to discharge them, as they don’t have the right support at home.
This then effects on our ability to allocate hospital beds to other patients, and in turn, effects our Emergency Department waiting times and ambulance handover times.
Can you help us help other patients by supporting your loved one?
If you have a relative or loved one waiting to be discharged with home care or community health support, you may be able to help us get them home more quickly if you and your family can support them while these arrangements are being finalised.
Your loved one’s health care team will discuss arrangements with you beforehand, but here are some things that you can think about in advance:
If you have any queries or concerns, please discuss these with your loved one’s health care team.