Following a Healthwatch Sutton consultation patients that had been discharged from St Helier Hospital between February and March 2014 were asked about their experience. The majority of feedback received was positive.
60% of patients rated their hospital discharge experience as “good or “excellent” and 78% felt that they were discharged at the right time (in terms of the length of stay in hospital).
There were also positive comments about doctors and nurses and other staff being “understanding”, “professional” and “approachable”.
Key areas for improvement included:
· Communication – There was several issues around poor communication between the hospital and the patient about the services and support a patient required after the patient had left hospital. Feedback also highlighted that GPs received patient Discharge Summaries late and on some occasions contained insufficient information.
· Delays –This was predominately waiting times for medications and the availability of transport. There were also delays on the day of discharge due to tests and procedures being carried out. Some participants also reported that they were discharged very late in the day.
· Information – Some patients had not received written information about their medication when leaving hospital. There were a small amount of patients that were not given information about who to contact if they were worried or had questions once they had left hospital.
To view the full report visit www.healthwatchsutton.org.uk/hospital-discharge-report-2014.
Hospital discharge had been highlighted as an area of concern for people in Sutton and Healthwatch Sutton wanted to investigate this further with a view to highlighting areas of good practice and recommending improvements where needed.
Healthwatch Sutton has met with senior staff from St Helier Hospital and an action plan has been put in place to look at improving the key areas highlighted within the Hospital Discharge report.
Healthwatch Sutton will monitor hospital discharge at St Helier Hospital to ensure patients received an acceptable experience.