During your stay in hospital (or before you go into hospital, if it's a planned stay), hospital staff will discuss and plan with you:
- how they will decide when you're ready to leave hospital
- when they think you'll be ready to leave hospital (be discharged)
- whether you'll go home or somewhere else, such as a community hospital or care home
- transport or any other arrangements
- any further support and care you might need
Your family and carers can be involved in these discussions if you want.
What happens while you're in hospital
As part of planning to leave hospital, you'll help decide the best place for you to go to when you're well enough to leave. This will be based on your needs.
You may be able to go home, or you may need to go somewhere else, such as a community hospital or care home. Most people go home.
If you need care after leaving hospital, staff will talk with you and your family and carers about what to expect.
Preparing to go home from hospital
If you can manage on your own at home, or with a little help, hospital staff should make sure:
- someone is taking you home, or you have a taxi, transport from a voluntary organisation or hospital transport
- you know where your house keys are so you can get into your home
- any unpaid carer or care workers involved in your care are aware you're coming home
- you have any medicine or new equipment you need and know how to use it
- information about your care is shared with your GP
- you know the next steps in your care and how to get help from the hospital
- local voluntary organisations are there to support you for the first few days, if you need it
- you have the opportunity to discuss any concerns you have about going home from hospital
If you need care after leaving hospital
Short-term care
You might be offered short-term care after leaving hospital to help you recover and regain your independence. This is called intermediate care (also known as rehabilitation, reablement and recovery services).
You'll have a needs assessment to help decide if intermediate care is right for you.
This type of free care will only be provided for as long as you need it – for example, 1 or 2 weeks, or longer, usually for a maximum of 6 weeks. It will depend on your needs, circumstances and the progress you make towards reaching your goals.
If you've been sectioned (detained for treatment in a psychiatric hospital) you have a right to mental health aftercare when you leave hospital.
Long-term care
After you've been out of hospital for a while, you may have a care needs assessment if you have long-term care needs. This will be organised by your local council.
If you have a regular unpaid carer, they are also entitled to have a carer's assessment to see what might help them.
You may also have a financial assessment to check if your local council will pay towards your long-term care and if you'll have to pay towards the cost.
If you have complex, long-term health needs, you may be eligible for NHS continuing healthcare, which will be assessed by a team of healthcare professionals.
Some people may need ongoing rehabilitation in the community.
If at any time you feel your care is not right, contact your local authority adult social care service and ask for a review.
What to do if you're unhappy about what happened when leaving hospital
You can complain if you're unhappy about what happened when you or a relative left hospital.
For example, if you feel:
- it was unsafe to leave hospital
- the information or support you were given when leaving hospital did not match your expectations
Speak to the hospital staff who arranged your discharge.
It might help to get advice from your local Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS), or the charity POhWER, who can provide help with NHS health complaints.
Find out more about how to complain about NHS services on the NHS England website