Special Enquiry into Discharge

This survey will ask you about discharge. Please complete as many fields as you can, and try to be as detailed as possible.
A note on privacy
This survey is anonymous.
The only information we will ask about you relates to equalities monitoring, and is optional.
We will also ask for the first letters of your postcode, so that we can make sure that your local NHS and Local Authority improve services for all areas.

'What next'? (Introduction)

We are interested in hearing about 'discharge'. The word 'discharge' means the way in which you leave a hospital, health unit or care facility.It is the process that is put in place to help you to go back to living your normal life.
We would like to hear your stories about the last 18 months. If your experience of discharge is older than 18 months, then the survey will be shorter as our priority is to examine recent events.
You can tell us about the experiences of a close friend or family member on their behalf if you wish. If so, please answer the survey as though it is them providing the responses (please make sure you have their consent).
We're interested in good and bad things that you have experienced, and everything in between. We are working to make sure that anything you tell us will be used to improve things for the future.

1 How many times have you been discharged over the last 18 months?

  • 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  • 11 12 13 14 15+

Hospitals, Health Units and Care Homes

2. Please list the name of the hospital, health unit or care home from which you have been discharged below.
Please be as specific as possible- the names of wards or departments can also be included if you know them.

3. What were you admitted for?

4. Did you have any other medical conditions at the time, other than the condition or incident that led to you being admitted?

Length of stay

5. When you were discharged from hospital over the last 18 months, did you have any medical conditions other than the condition or incident that led to you being admitted?

Please think about your most recent discharge.
6. Before you were discharged, how long did you stay in the hospital, health unit or care home?

  • Less than 24 hours 24 - 48 hours 2 - 7 days
  • 1 - 2 week 2 - 4 weeks 1 - 3 months
  • 3 - 6 months 6 - 12 months Over 1 year

When you were discharged...

Please tell us about what happened when you were discharged from hospital, a health unit or care home

7. Please give a score to each of the following options, according to how well they describe how you were treated by healthcare staff.
A score of 1 is the lowest possible. Use this to tell us that you totally disagree with the statement.
A score of 10 is the highest possible. Use this to tell us that you totally agree with the statement.

I was treated with respect at all times by the staff

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

Most staff provided good service. However, there were a few occasions when they did not, and it spoiled my experience

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

Most staff provided good service. There were a few occasions when they did not, but overall it didn't matter too much

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

Most staff provided good service, but there were specific times when I felt that the quality of service I received from staff dropped significantly

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

Most staff provided good service, but were let down by one or two individuals who did not

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

Staff were always excellent, but were struggling due to other factors, which led to the occasional lapse in the quality of service I felt I received

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

The quality of service I received from staff could be best described as satisfactory or average

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

The quality of service I received seemed to vary between staff members, shift times and/or over weekends

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

Overall, the quality of service I received from staff was good; but attention to detail was sometimes lacking, which was a shame

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

Overall, the quality of service I received from staff was fairly poor, with a few positive moments

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

Overall, the quality of service I received from staff was poor, but this was mostly due to factors outside of their control

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

I felt that most of the people who cared for me did not do their job very well at all

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

My experience was terrible, and staff did nothing to support me at all

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

8. If you had more than one condition / problem at the time, do you think that they were all considered in the discharge process? Please explain using the box below.
If this isn't relevant to you, then please leave it blank.

9. Did staff ask about your family or community support when you were discharged?

  • Yes No

10. Your local Healthwatch manages a database of voluntary and community services called WellAware. It is designed to help people to support their health and wellbeing after discharge.
Were you told about WellAware, or any charities or community groups that could support you after you were discharged? If so, please list any of the support services you were told about below.

11. Did you feel well enough and ready to leave hospital when you were discharged?

  • Yes No

12. If you answered 'no' to the previous question, we would like to know why you felt you weren't ready to be discharged.
Please tell us your story below.

  • What additional care or time did you need?
  • Why was your experience negative?
  • Were there any knock-on effects from your early discharge?
  • Were you made aware of how you could complain about your experience?

13. If you answered 'yes' to the previous question, would you say that your discharge took too long, or was delayed in some way?
Please give your views on this below.

14. How far do you agree with the following statement?
A score of 1 means you totally disagree with the statement.
A score of 10 means you totally agree with the statement.

I felt involved in the decision-making process to leave the hospital

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

15. Were you given a 'treatment plan' or 'care plan'?

  • Yes No

16. Were you offered any rehabilitation or therapy services? If so, please list them here.

17. Do you remember the time of day that you were discharged? If so, please select from the list below.
If you can't remember the exact time, or your discharge took place over a period of time that spans several answers, then please select a time that you feel best fits your experience.

  • Midnight- 2AM 2AM - 4AM 4AM - 6AM
  • 6AM - 8AM 8AM - 10AM 10AM - Midday
  • Midday - 2PM 2PM - 4PM 4PM - 6PM
  • 6PM - 8PM 8PM - 10PM 10PM - Midnight

18. Was any transport arranged for you?

  • Yes No

19. How far do you agree with the following statement?
A score of 1 means you totally disagree with the statement
A score of 10 means you totally agree with the statement

I was given clear instructions regarding my medication

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

Staff took the time to make sure that I understood my medication

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

I understood where to go to ask questions about my medication if I didn't understand it after I was discharged

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

My GP and pharmacist were fully informed about any changes to my medication after my discharge

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

After you were discharged

20. Where were you discharged to?
This could include your home, a care home or the home of a friend or relative. If you were discharged and you were homeless or about to become homeless at the time, then please indicate this to us by answering 'onto the streets'.

My home The home of a friend or family member

A care home or residential home Onto the streets Other

21. Were you readmitted within 28 days for the same or a related problem?

Yes No

22. Did you seek healthcare within 3 months after being discharged for the same or a related problem?

Yes No

23. Were you readmitted within 28 days for a different problem?

Yes No

24. Were your previous admissions and recent medical history discussed?

Yes No

25. What (if any) intermediate healthcare services did you access after being discharged from hospital?
Intermediate care services include things like home visits from nurses, occupational therapy or a short stay in a rehabilitation unit.
Please list below

26. Please rate how easy you found it to obtain support following discharge below.
A score of 1 means you found it nearly impossible
A score of 10 means it was very easy

  • 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

27. How well did the care and support you received after discharge compare with your expectations of how you thought you would be supported?
Which of the following statements best fit how you feel?

  • The care and support I received was significantly better than I expected
  • The care and support I received was very good, and I was surprised
  • The care and support I received was very good, which was as I expected
  • The care and support I received was roughly what I expected, and I was disappointed with it
  • The care and support I received was roughly what I expected, and I was happy with it
  • I received very poor care and support after I was discharged
  • I did not receive any care and support at all after discharge
  • The care and support I received after discharge was so poor that it negatively affected my recovery
  • I have never been made aware of care and support being offered after discharge

28. If you were discharged to a care home, did you feel the home was well equipped to deal with your illness and care needs?

Yes No

29. Did anyone contact you, or speak directly to you (for example, during a subsequent GP appointment), to find out how you were getting on following your discharge?
Please tell us more about this below.

Making things better

30. What do you think could be improved for people when being discharged from a hospital, health unit or care home?
Please write any thoughts or ideas below, and please write as much as you like.
You might also want to give examples of times when you have received better care, so that lessons can be learned from that experience (please be specific with names, dates etc. as far as you can).
You might also want to describe your ideal arrangements for discharge. In a perfect world, how would it work?

More About You

Your responses to these quick questions will help us to understand how accessible services are to particular groups of people.

How old are you?

  • 17 or under 18-24 25-34 35-44
  • 45-54 55-64 65 or over

What is your gender?

  • Female Male Transgender Unknown Other

What is your sexuality?

  • Heterosexual Gay Lesbian Bi-sexual Other

How would you describe your ethnicity?

What is the first part of your postcode?

Do you identify yourself as a person with a disability?

  • Yes No Prefer not to say

You can make a comment on your choice here:

Do you have a religious belief system, or non-religious belief system?If so, please tell us about it below.

Older experiences of discharge

We know that sometimes things that have happened less-recently are still worth talking about.

If your experience of discharge took place more than 18 months ago, we would still like to hear from you.
Please tell us below what happened, and what you think should change to make discharge work better.

Thank you for taking part in this survey.
The feedback you have given us will be used to inform a national enquiry. Please keep an eye on the national news, as well as local updates, to find out more about what happens next.
Your local Healthwatch wants to hear from you every time you have something to say about any health and social care.
Talk to us:

0117 269 0400