Healthwatch Wellbeing Discharge project
What is the Hospital Discharge Project?
The project involves our volunteers ringing recently discharged patients to check how they are and to signpost them to any services they might need.
Why is the project taking place?
It is taking place for two reasons:
Firstly: it provides reassurance for the NHS and care services that the discharge has gone well, or if it has not then corrective action can be taken.
Secondly: it forms a vital part of our city’s overall response to COVID and its success had been recognised by city health leaders with plans to extend it to other areas in Sussex
What happens if Healthwatch contacts you?
- Before being discharged from hospital you should have been given a leaflet which explained our project, and that Healthwatch may be contacting you a few days after your arrival home to check-in with you.
- All telephone calls are undertaken by Healthwatch volunteers, who have also undergone appropriate training. You are under no obligation to participate but your views and experiences can help to improve the hospital discharge process. Everything that you tell us is recorded anonymously.
- Our volunteers can check to see if you require any further assistance, and share your details (with your consent) to other local organisations who may be able to help you.
What Healthwatch England have said:
We have shared details of our project with Healthwatch England who have a strong interest in how discharge arrangements are functioning during COVID – where patients are being discharged earlier than is perhaps normal. We took part in a Hospital Discharge webinar to share information about the project with the wider network of Healthwatch teams across England.
What our CEO (Chief Executive Officer) has said about it:
A blog produced by David Liley has been issued by the NHS Federation highlighting our work.