Hospital discharge

No one wants to stay in hospital for longer than they need to and it is generally better for your recovery if you are back in the comfort of your own home.

When your doctor feels you are ready to leave hospital, there are many options for support.

If you do need any support, this will be discussed with you before you are discharged.

You may be able to go straight home without any support, or you may need a bit of help from family and friends or possibly from a local service.

We can support either your return home with some support if needed, or to accommodation if you need more intensive support to help you recover.

It is always a priority to discharge you to the best possible place to support your recovery. In most cases this will be to your own home.

The support you need may be from family or friends (unpaid carers), a service in the community such as Age Concern, or from services within South Tyneside Council. This could include providing some equipment, support from our Assistive Technology Team, or more practical support from care workers.

If it is decided you do need support from someone other than family or friends, or they may not be available to support you, a care worker will be able to support you with your:

• recovery
• personal care
• meals

The support you need on discharge will be discussed with you while you are in hospital.

Support from family and friends

After leaving hospital, you may only need support from your family or friends.

If you are receiving support from family or friends, we refer to them as unpaid carers. Providing information, advice and support to unpaid carers can be really important to help them support you. For more information about the support available to carers see, advice for carers.

Age Concern Tyneside South (ACTS)

Age Concern can provide support as part of their home from hospital service.

This support can be practical or emotional and includes:

• providing you with transport home from hospital, or meeting you at home to help you get settled-in
• week by week support with practical day to day tasks such as shopping or getting out and about
• telephone or home visits to see how you are doing

Their Home from Hospital Service can support you for up to a maximum of 6 weeks, but they aim to help you manage without them before that.

As you begin to feel better, they will offer encouragement and motivation to help you keep active and healthy. They will help you find out about other support through ACTS or other groups and activities in your area to help you get back to your usual routine or find new interests and hobbies.

Equipment to help you live independently

You may only need support with the use of equipment.

There is a wide range of equipment that can help people with everyday tasks that may have become an issue because of disability, ill-health or due to changes as we grow older.

For more information, see how to get equipment for yourself.

The Wellbeing and Independence Service (WIS)

The Wellbeing and Independence Service (WIS) can:

• support you in your own home
• remind you to take your medication
• call you to make sure you are out of bed
• make sure you have had regular meals

Assistive technology

Assistive technology is a range of electronic aids that can help you live independently and safely in your own home.

Selected assistive technology can be installed at no cost for the first 6 weeks, as part of an assessment period alongside WIS.

This technology includes: 

• An alarm unit and pendant
• A digital clock

For information on packages and types of equipment see, assistive technology.

Your care and support will be reviewed weekly with the social care team and the home care provider to determine next steps.

You can also refer yourself for WIS and for assistive technology see, apply for assistive technology.

Home Independence and Crisis Support Services (HICSS)

The Home Independence and Crisis Support Service (HICSS) is provided by our home care providers and can support you in your own home for a short time to help you regain your independence.

A social care professional will arrange for you to be supported by this service.

The team will work with you to set goals specific to your needs.

The service can't give set times for visits to your home, but they will be reasonably timed and spaced depending on what you require support with.

This will help us to understand your future needs and how these can be met.

Support is usually for a few days but can be longer if you need to regain further independent living skills. During this time your carers and an assessor will review your need for support and confirm whether you need ongoing support which will be provided.

HICSS is free of charge until any long-term needs are assessed (up to 6-weeks only).

24-hour live-in carer service

24-hour live-in carer service is a short-term option to support your return home for an assessment period. This is to determine how to best meet your needs long-term.

You will receive this support for two weeks.

The service provides consistent, person-centred care in your own home, that is round the clock, from a dedicated carer.

The support aims to improve your mental health and well-being, by supporting you to have more control over your daily routines, while having care and support on hand whenever you need it.

A social care professional will arrange this care, if they feel you need this level of support when being discharged.

Some people may need more support with their recovery than can be provided in their own home, and may need more specialist support outside of the hospital before they can return to their own home.

South Tyneside has a range of support available if you cannot return straight home from hospital. 

A social care professional will talk with you about your needs and may recommend / refer you / arrange for the following support.

Borrowdale House

Borrowdale House provides support for you to recover after a stay in hospital. 

The service will work with you to rebuild your confidence to increase your independence.

For more information and eligibility, see Borrowdale House.

Community Wellbeing Flats

Blenkinsopp Court and Clasper Court are extra care schemes in South Shields.

There are 5 dementia friendly apartments (3 in Blenkinsopp and 2 in Clasper) for additional recovery time after a hospital admission or continued recovery after a stay on a reablement service.

You will have your own apartment with carers on site 24/7 to support your recovery.

The service is free for up to 6 weeks, but they aim to support your return home before 6 weeks or to look at supporting you to move to a different home which better suits your needs.

Haven Court

Haven Court is a care hub built in the grounds of South Tyneside District Hospital for people being discharged from hospital.

They provide short-term residential care to support recovery and a social worker will meet with you to start an assessment of your needs and plan next steps.

Recovery beds at Haven Court are for up to 6 weeks and you will be financially assessed to pay a contribution towards the cost of the recovery bed. See paying for care.

We will aim to support you to move on from Haven Court as soon as possible, which may be before 6 weeks.

For more information see, Haven Court.

Short term care home bed

For some people, none of the options above would meet their needs. If it is felt that your needs still can't be met safely, then we can support you to access a short-term placement within a care home.

We will work with you while you are at the care home and plan next steps.

You will need to pay towards the cost of a short-term care home bed after you are discharged from hospital. See paying for care.

Some support is free of charge for a limited time after being discharged from hospital, whereas some support you may need to pay a contribution.

A social care professional will discuss charging and financial assessment with you as part of your discharge planning conversation.

For more information see, finance and paying for care.