A new information sheet has been launched this week for patients and their carers/families with the aim of helping people to plan well for leaving the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle (CIC) or West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven (WCH) when they are fit to be discharged.
Elizabeth Klein, head of nursing for clinical standards at North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (NCIC), explains: “Following a period of illness, you may need further treatment or rehabilitation but you do not need to wait in hospital for this to happen. When your discharge from hospital is well planned we know that the best place for the majority of people to recover quicker is in their own home with appropriate support.”
The information sheet which will be given to patients and/or their carers/families when they are admitted onto an inpatient ward contains useful guidance such as:
- A reminder that everyone should be given an expected date of discharge when they are in hospital
- Ensuring your home is prepared for you to return to it
- Things you should ensure you have in place before you leave hospital
- Information about transport and further support available
Before the information has been published, it was tested with patients on wards at CIC and WCH and with local third sector groups.
The launch marks the next phase of the North Cumbria health and care system’s ‘No Place Like Home’ campaign, which is aiming to help people understand the changes being made to the way health and care is delivered locally with more care being provided in the community. If you become ill, the local NHS want to ensure people understand what services are available to improve health and help their recovery from illness at home. Or, if hospital care is required, patients need to know how long they can expect to be in hospital for and what needs to be achieved before they can go home again.
Elizabeth added: “During the winter months, our hospitals get busier as they do up and down the country. We want to ensure everyone is in the best place to receive the care they need and that is not always a hospital bed depending on your condition. It is important our acute hospital beds are kept for those who need us the most and people can help us with this by ensuring they are organised when it is time to leave hospital and return home.
“I would like to thank our representatives from the third sector who have been helping us with our No Place Like Home campaign; their input and feedback is invaluable.”
‘Leaving hospital – what do I need to know and do?’ is also available on the NCIC website along with more information about the No Place Like Home campaign at:
https://www.ncic.nhs.uk/trust/projects-and-campaigns/no-place-home
