Help people speak up about their hospital discharge experience

Healthwatch Reading is inviting local people to share their experiences of leaving hospital as part of a new survey to improve hospital discharge experiences across the country. Being discharged means leaving the hospital ward where you were being treated. This may include returning home, moving to a care home, to a community hospital bed, or somewhere else to continue your recovery.

If patients are discharged too early without proper support, they may need to be readmitted to hospital or seek help from GPs or pharmacies. Meanwhile, delays in discharging medically fit people create issues for new patients needing beds, leading to longer wait times in A&E and treatment in corridors until beds are available.

Alice Kunjappy-Clifton, Lead officer, Healthwatch Reading says:

"Leaving hospital should be a step towards recovery, not a source of stress or uncertainty."

Whether you had to wait longer than expected to leave hospital, left before you felt ready, or struggled to get the support you needed afterwards, your experience matters. By taking a few minutes to share your story, you can help Healthwatch make hospital discharge processes work better for patients and carers across England.

The survey, which asks you to share experiences that happened in the last year, is particularly aimed at people who experienced difficulties during the discharge process, including:

• Delays in leaving hospital.

• Leaving hospital before they were ready.

• Problems accessing the support, equipment, medication, information, or follow-up care needed after leaving hospital.

People are invited to share their experience by answering the questions in this link by Friday 9 October. The survey will only take a few minutes of our time, and your feedback is anonymous.

https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/hwreading/

Please note the survey will open in a new tab.

If your discharge experience does not fall in the delayed or difficult discharge group, you can still share it with us. Please click here to have your say. Note, clicking the link will open a new tab.