The 10-minute film follows patient Diane's journey in real time as she is discharged home from the Chichester Ward at the Royal Sussex County Hospital via the newly introduced 'Discharge 2 Assess' process. Historically, patients in the hospital's elderly care ward who have been medically ready for discharge have had to wait in hospital while checks are carried out to see if they are able to cope at home.
Discharge 2 Assess is turning this process on its head by allowing the patient to go home and assessments, which include occupational therapy and physiotherapy, are done there. In the new film, local clinicians explain how supporting people to get back home from hospital as soon as they are ready following an acute illness leads to better patient outcomes. Older people especially can become physically weaker the longer they stay in hospital. They also explain why the best place to assess the care and support needs of people following a stay in hospital is at home, rather than in an unfamiliar hospital environment with different routines than they would have at home.
You can see Diane's journey here
Following the success of the Chichester Ward pilot, there are now plans in place to roll this new way of working out to other elderly care wards within the Royal Sussex County Hospital this winter.