This headline received a very warm welcome from myself last week…

Based on my own experience,   I for one welcome these guidelines and sincerely hope it becomes common knowledge for all those involved. So please, as part of your duty of care , read it , get familiar with it and spread it!

You can go to  the guidlines HERE, which will take you to  NICE where you can find  an invaluable amount of resource. Something which, as a past care support worker, I would take it upon myself to keep upto date with…I hope you do too.

Here is a selection of information you will find there…Discharge planning:key principles

Discharge planning: key principles

1.5.10 Ensure continuity of care for people being transferred from hospital, particularly older people who may be confused or who have dementia. For more information on continuity of care see the recommendations in section 1.4 of NICE’s guideline on patient experience in adult NHS services.

1.5.11 Ensure that people do not have to make decisions about long‑term residential or nursing care while they are in crisis.

1.5.12 Ensure that any pressure to make beds available does not result in unplanned and uncoordinated hospital discharges

Always of importance, you may like this too… Training and development

1.7 Training and development

1.7.1 Ensure that all relevant staff are trained in the hospital discharge process. Training should take place as early as possible in the course of their employment, with regular updates. It could include:

• interdisciplinary working between the hospital‑ and community-based multidisciplinary teams, including working with people using services and their carers
• discharge communications
• awareness of the local community health, social care and voluntary sector services available to support people during their move from hospital to the community
• how to get information about the person’s social and home situation (including who is available to support the person)
• learning how to assess the person’s home environment (home visits)
• how to have sensitive discussions with people about end‑of‑life care
• medication review in partnership with the person, including medicines optimisation and adherence
• helping people to manage risks effectively so that they can still do things they want to do (risk enablement)
• how to arrange, conduct or contribute to assessments for health and social care eligibility.