Joining up for Hospital Discharge event: Working together for better care  

We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who joined us at our Joining up for Hospital Discharge event! It was great to see a mix of healthcare professionals, the voluntary sector, and local people all in one room to talk about this important topic.

Highlights

The day started with a presentation from the Hospital Discharge Improvement Team, who took us through the different discharge pathways available for patients leaving hospital. They shared their progress so far and talked about upcoming changes in the health and care system to help patients return home more smoothly after a hospital stay.

We were also able to learn more about Joined Up Care Derbyshire’s (JUCD) Discharge Improvement Strategy which will published in the coming months.

Working together

Attendees also had the chance to ask questions to a panel, covering important topics such as:

• When and how to start conversations with family and friends about plans for returning home after hospital, making sure their wishes are considered
• How we can make the process of transferring care from hospital to home more seamless
• Improving communication between hospitals, relatives, and community support services

The breakout session gave us another great opportunity to share ideas, discuss challenges, and explore ways to make the discharge process better for everyone involved. We also covered how we can make sure patient feedback is at the heart of any changes.

Pledging to make a difference

At the end of the event, each of us made a personal pledge. This was how we can each commit to a specific action to improve the hospital discharge process.

Some of the pledges focused on advocating for family and friends during the discharge process, improving communication between healthcare teams and patients, and supporting vulnerable patients who may not have advocates.

Others emphasised the importance of raising awareness, collecting feedback, and making sure that discharge information is clear and accessible to patients and their families.

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Next steps

Following the event, Healthwatch Derbyshire alongside the Discharge Improvement Team are continuing to focus on how we can all improve the process of leaving hospital.

This will be through gathering stories of lived experience from local people, ensuring their input helps to shape any changes and improvements. You can follow any updates on the project on the Derbyshire Involvement website: Joining up for Hospital Discharge.

Get involved

To share your story, or to add your own pledge, please email the Discharge Improvement team on: dchst.dischargeimprovement@nhs.net

You can also let us know about your experiences by completing our feedback form, or by getting in touch with our team on Tel: 01773 880786 or via email: enquiries@healthwatchderbyshire.co.uk.

Thank you again to everyone who participated and contributed to these important conversations. Your involvement shows our shared commitment to making the hospital discharge process smoother for patients, whilst also reducing pressure on our hospitals.

If you'd like to take a look at the slides from the event, click 'download file' on the left hand side.