Discharge from hospital can happen quickly, and gaps in support at home are a common reason people return. Planning early helps your relative recover more safely. This guide covers what to ask the ward team, how to prepare the home and how to share the tasks.
Step by step
Ask about discharge plans early
Soon after admission, ask the ward staff who is coordinating discharge and what the expected date is. Ask to be involved in planning, with your relative's agreement, and give contact details for the main family contact.
Ask the key questions
Find out what support your relative is likely to need, whether any equipment or care is being arranged, which medicines will change and what follow-up appointments are planned. Write down the answers and names of the staff you spoke to.
Prepare the home
Make sure the home is warm, clear of trip hazards and stocked with easy food. Think about access to the toilet, bed and kitchen. If an occupational therapist has recommended equipment, confirm when and how it will arrive.
Organise transport and the first days
Agree who will collect your relative and at what time. Plan who will be with them or visit during the first few days, and set up a rota in the shared calendar.
Check medicines and paperwork
Before leaving, make sure your relative has their medicines, understands any changes and has a discharge letter. Ask the pharmacist or ward staff to explain anything unclear, and update the medicines list at home.
Know who to contact afterwards
Note the numbers for the GP, any community nursing or reablement team and the ward. Call 999 in an emergency and NHS 111 for urgent advice. If support arranged by the hospital or council does not start, contact them straight away.
Ready-to-use checklist
- Discharge coordinator's name noted
- Expected discharge date known
- Support needs and equipment confirmed
- Home prepared and stocked
- Transport arranged
- First-week rota set in calendar
- Medicines and discharge letter checked
- Key contact numbers written down
Practical tips
- Ask whether a carer's assessment is available for family members taking on extra care.
- Keep a notebook by the bed to record symptoms, visits and questions for the GP.
- If your relative lives alone, consider a personal alarm; the local council can often advise.
Common problems
The hospital wants to discharge before care is in place.
Raise your concerns calmly with the ward team and ask what support is planned and when it will start. If you remain concerned, the hospital's Patient Advice and Liaison Service in England, or its equivalent elsewhere in the UK, can help.
My relative is confused about their medicines.
Ask the community pharmacist to go through the medicines with them. Pharmacists can often suggest ways to make medicines easier to manage.
Things are going worse than expected at home.
Contact the GP or the community team listed on the discharge letter. Call NHS 111 for urgent advice and 999 if someone is seriously unwell or injured.