Where best next? Evidence shows it’s much better for a patient’s physical and mental wellbeing to leave hospital as soon as they are medically optimised for discharge.
This is why it’s really important we do everything we can to enable our patients, particularly older people, to continue their recovery in their own home environment or, for those few who cannot go straight home from hospital, within a care location most suited to meet their needs.
You have an important part to play in making this happen. And there are a number of practical actions you can take to help get patients to the best place for them.
NHS England and NHS Improvement has worked with a number of partners to identify five key principles which can help ensure that patients are discharged in a safe, appropriate and timely way.
The principles relate to different stages of a patient’s stay: some to the moment of admission, some to their time on a ward and some to the end of their stay.
For more information please visit: NHS England » Reducing long stays: Where best next campaign