Going into and leaving hospital | Essex County Council
Going into hospital
Who will look after things while you are in hospital?
Think about who will look after things while you are away.
You may need to arrange with a family member or friend to help out with things like checking on your home, picking up post, looking after your pet, if you have one.
Do you look after someone else?
If you look after someone else, you will need to find someone to take over this role while you are in hospital, and possibly for a while, when you come home.
If you are a carer, both you and the person you look after may be entitled to support from your local council. For more information, see our section on support for carers.
Sorting out money and benefits
When you or a member of your family go into or come out of hospital, the benefits you get may change. This depends on the type of benefit you get, and the length of time you stay in hospital. It can also affect your partner or carers benefits.
To find out more, see the Turn2us website.
Preparing for your stay
Your hospital should provide you with information about about how to prepare for your stay, what you should bring with you, as well as other information on what to expect when you arrive.
For more information, contact your local hospital.
You can also find guidance about going into hospital from:
What happens when you arrive at hospital
The NHS has a video which explains your stay in hospital and what to expect.
Age UK has a comprehensive guide called ‘Your hospital stay’ (PDF, 495KB). It explains what to expect when going into hospital, what should happen while you’re in hospital, and the steps that should be taken to prepare for your discharge.
If you look after a pet
If you are on a low income, the PDSA (People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals) may be able to help you with vet care.
If you are no longer able look after your pet, there are charities and organisations that can help including:
- RSPCA can help find your pet a new home through its specialist re-homing service
- Animal Rescuers can help you find a new home for your pet
- National Careline gives information on what happens to your pet if you have to go into care
- Cinnamon Trust provides short-term or long-term care for pets whose owners have gone in to care
Leaving hospital
The team caring for you will decide when it is time for you to leave hospital. They will only discharge you if they are sure that you no longer need hospital care.
The benefits of leaving hospital include:
- getting your independence back
- reducing your risk of infection
- reducing your risk of losing muscle strength
- finishing your recovery in a familiar environment
The NHS has more detailed information about what happens when you leave hospital.
You may need to continue your recovery at home. The team caring for you should discuss options for this before you leave.
Discharge planning
The team caring for you will complete a discharge plan before you leave hospital.
You will be involved in the planning of your care and support.
This should include things like:
- how you are getting home
- treatment and care when you get home
- who’s in charge of your care and how to contact them
- when and how often you need care
Discharge summary
When you leave hospital you will be given a discharge summary. A copy will also be sent to your GP. This will provide information about your treatment and future care needs.
If you experienced mental health difficulties leading to your admission
The mental health charity Mind has information and advice to help people who are:
Continuing your recovery at home
You may need some extra help when you get home from hospital. There are different ways you can get this help.
Home from hospital
Some local organisations offer home from hospital services. This might involve someone visiting you at home for a short time after you’re discharged. Your home visitor can help with tasks such as:
- shopping
- collecting pensions
- picking up prescriptions
Check to see if the following offer home from hospital services in your area:
Reablement
If you have had a short illness or an operation, you might only need support for a short time to recover. We call this reablement. It is also known as intermediate care or aftercare.
Reablement is a short-term support service to help you regain the confidence to live safely and independently in your own home. It is usually provided free of charge for:
- an average of 3 or 4 weeks
- up to 6 weeks
If needed, the hospital will make a referral for reablement care as part of your discharge plan. An experienced worker from the local reablement team will then visit you when you get home. They will ask what you want to achieve from the reablement support. Together you will set some specific and realistic goals to work towards. These will be reviewed regularly.
The reablement staff will not do everything for you. Instead they will encourage and assist you to do things for yourself. They may also talk to you about other things that can help you to be more independent, like equipment and adaptions
Home to Assess: short term support at home
Home to Assess (H2A) is a short-term service with a recovery ethos, designed to support people whose care needs are not yet fully understood. They provide a period of support at home, giving time for a reassessment to help identify the most appropriate ongoing services.
The service is available and suitable to anyone 18 years or older where the need has been identified. If needed, the hospital will refer you to H2A as part of your discharge plan.
An experienced member of staff from the local H2A team will carry out an initial assessment to understand your immediate needs. This will be reviewed throughout your time in the service.
The H2A team will work closely with you to explore how you want to be supported to meet your needs and achieve your goals. If you have ongoing care needs they will refer you into Adult Social Care for a Care Act Assessment. They will also talk through a wide range of options with you, focussed on approaches that promote independence and reduce ongoing support needs. This may include equipment and care technology.
Ongoing care
Other arrangements will need to be made if you still need care and support after reablement care.
The reablement provider will talk to you about the options available. If needed they will refer you to the correct services. If you have more questions, you can contact adult social care.
You may be charged for ongoing care. If you need help to pay for your care, we will offer you a financial assessment. This will establish how much you can afford to pay and how much we can pay for you.