Let’s get patients home

Phase two of the Let’s Get You Home initiativehas just been launched to ensure that patients spend no longer than they need to in hospital. This means supporting them to return home safely or, if this is not possible, to move to a care home or supported housing once their treatment in hospital is complete.

Hospitals obviously have a duty to ensure that their beds are occupied only by people who need treatment there. Let’s Get You Home will help [name of hospital(s)] have beds available when they are most needed, especially through the winter when more people are ill or have accidents.

A lot of work has already been done and you will see more happening in the coming months:

  • Patient choice policies have been made consistent across Sussex and east Surrey so the process of leaving hospital will be the same wherever patients are treated.
  • Pilots are being established in hospital wards across Sussex and East Surrey to develop and share good practice on getting patients safely home.
  • Staff will have earlier conversations with patients about how they will leave hospital – usually within 24 hours of being admitted – and they will be given clear information about their choices.
  • Hospital staff and local council adult services teams will work more closely with each other to ensure patients have the care and support they need to return home (or go into a care home or supported housing if they can’t go home).
  • More assessments on people’s long-term care needs will take place in their own homes, where they can be assessed more accurately, rather than in hospital.
  • There will be a communications and engagement campaign, including new plain English leaflets for patients and staff and clearer information for patients.

Let’s Get You Home is being implemented by the 24 NHS organisations and councils across the Sussex and East Surrey Sustainability and Transformation Partnership, including adult services teams at West Sussex County Council, East Sussex County Council, Surrey County Council and Brighton and Hove City Council. Healthwatch and patient groups have also been involved.

Please take a look at the new patient and staff leaflets so that you are familiar with what will be happening and what you may need to do to make this initiative a success.