Going into 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 the post or looking after your pet.

If you look after someone else, you will need to find someone to take over this role while you’re in hospital, and possibly, when you come home.

If you’re a carer, both you and the person you look after may be entitled to support from us. 

Your benefits may be affected by a stay in hospital. This depends on the type of benefit you get, and the length of time you stay in hospital.

Get guidance about going into hospital from:

• Turn2Us
• NHS

If you look after a pet and are on a low income the PDSA (People's Dispensary for Sick Animals) may be able to help you with vet care.

If you’re no longer able look after your pet, contact:

• Animal Rescuers who can help you find a new home for your pet
• National Careline for information on what happens to your pet if you have to go into care
• Cinnamon Trust for short-term or long-term care for pets whose owners have gone in to care

The team caring for you will decide when it is time for you to leave hospital. 

They will only discharge you if they’re 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 detailed information about what happens when you leave hospital.

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

You’ll be given a discharge summary when you leave hospital. 

A copy will also be sent to your GP as it includes information about your treatment and future care needs.

You may need some extra help when you get home from hospital. 

Some local organisations like Age UK 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

If you have had a short illness or an operation, you might only need support for a short time to recover. This is known as reablement, 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 help you to do things for yourself.

 They may also talk to you about other things that can help you to be more independent, such as:

• daily living equipment

• changes to your home

• care technology

Other arrangements will need to be made if you still need care and support after re-ablement care.

The re-ablement team will talk to you about the options available. You can also speak to the adult social care team.

You may be charged for ongoing care. 

If you need help paying for your care we’ll offer you a financial assessment. This will see how much you can afford to pay and how much we can pay for you.