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Hospital discharge

Best practice to ensure that patients are safely discharged from hospital

Hospital discharge

Hospital discharge refers to when a patient is ready to leave hospital and return to their normal place of residence. This section provides best practice to ensure a person is discharged safely, including: discharge pathway, reablement flats, safeguarding raised in hospital, discharge alert protocol, and support for carers that are identified as part of the discharge process. 

Discharge alert protocol

To ensure discharge best practice is implemented across all NCL hospitals, the ICS (Integrated Care System) have a standardised process for managing discharge alerts. 

Refer to the revised discharge alert protocol, which is designed to minimise the reoccurence of failed discharges, support learning and provide quarterly feedback to the Integrated Care Board.

Attached is a Discharge Alert form for completion if a problem regarding discharge was not resolved within 24 hours. 

Last updated: 01 May 2024