By Lucy Ashton
Around two-thirds (62%) of discharged patients across NHSGGC are satisfied with the process of getting home on their planned day of discharge, according to a new survey from Scotland’s largest health board.
The ‘Home for Lunch’ census asked patients to share their experiences of being discharged from hospital to help inform hospital policy and encourage positive conversations about the discharge process.
Home for Lunch seeks to ensure patients and staff are empowered to have the necessary arrangements in place to ensure a smooth exit from hospital. The campaign seeks to inform, encourage and support them to have conversations about planned discharge dates as early as possible to help avoid any issues on the day.
Of those surveyed, around one in four (25%) found the process of getting home either easy or very easy, with feedback highlighting the value of having early conversations with ward teams to discuss planned discharge dates. However, just under two-thirds (60%) called for more information and support to be made available to help them get home in time for lunch on their planned date of discharge.
Commenting on the findings, Professor Angela Wallace, Director of Nursing for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said:
“The feedback from patients has been extremely insightful regarding the discharge process and highlights why it’s so important that our patients ready to go home on any given day, are discharged as early as possible.”
Of the feedback provided, patients cited leaving hospital in daylight as an advantage alongside being able to settle back home as early as possible. Others pointed to the positive knock-on effect freeing up a bed earlier would have on other patients in the system, while some mentioned the anxiety which can be caused waiting for a discharge time.
Professor Wallace added: “We know that for every one patient leaving hospital, this positively benefits at least another four – right through to the patient in the community waiting for the ambulance. That’s why it’s so important that our patients and staff are able to have planned discharge conversations with each other as early as possible, as this allows for more travel planning for the patient for example, while a resulting pre-noon discharge also gives our ward teams more planning time to move new patients into wards.
“This is not about pushing patients out before they’re ready to go – it’s about making sure when they are ready to go, that we’re able to provide all the patient-centred support specific to their individual circumstances. It could be as easy as speaking to a loved one about pick-up locations and time or making sure the patient has appropriate clothing to go home in. It’s these simple things that can make all the difference to the discharge experience and help our patients get home earlier on in the day.”
As part of the campaign, the Health Board has launched a new patient checklist to help facilitate positive conversations between patients and staff around arrangements to get home. The checklist is being distributed across wards and is available on the Home for Lunch webpage on the NHSGGC website here.
Picture: The Home For Lunch patient checklist
Survey information:
Survey carried out via social media and through NHSGGC’s Involving People Network.
Timeframe: Survey Live from 10 January to 30 January
Respondents: 245