Start on day one, not on discharge day
A Home Support application can be made while the person is in hospital. HSE says to ask the person managing the discharge plan for a Home Support application form as early as possible, so it is useful to raise practical concerns early rather than on the day.
Ask who is coordinating things
- Ask the person managing the discharge plan who is coordinating the practical arrangements
- Ask which hospital and community professionals are involved — medical social work, occupational therapy or physiotherapy may be, depending on the situation
Describe home honestly
- Stairs, and whether there is a toilet downstairs
- Bath or shower, and whether it can be entered safely
- Heating, and whether fuel has to be carried
- Who else lives there, and what they can genuinely manage
- How far away family live and how often they can realistically come
Before discharge, confirm
- What supports have been referred or approved, and the date they start
- What equipment is being delivered, by whom, and when
- Whether the Public Health Nurse has been notified
- Medication changes, in writing, and who is collecting the prescription
- Follow-up appointments and how the person will travel to them
- A contact number for the first week at home
If you think the plan is not safe
Say so early, specifically, and ask for a discharge planning meeting. Put your concerns in writing if the response is unclear. You cannot direct clinical decisions, but you can insist that the practical realities of home are on the record.
Sources
- Health Service Executive (HSE) — HSE — health and social care services
Open the official source - Citizens Information Board — Citizens Information — older people and carers
Open the official source
This guide is general information, not medical, legal or financial advice.