Hospital Discharge

5.8 Summary of Lens 1 survey findings
The majority of patients and carers who participated in our study were elderly (44% of participants
were in their 80s) and could be classified as having undergone a relatively simple discharge process
from hospital, insofar as most had not been referred to the complex discharge team and were being
discharged with little or no additional support or care. Most spoke well of staff, praising their efficiency,
and felt that they were doing their best given that they were very busy and at times appeared to be shortstaffed.
Indeed, in response to our survey, the vast majority rated their overall experience of discharge
as good or excellent. Nevertheless, some participants experienced discharge as something that had
been arranged for them, rather than with them. Although these participants did not report high levels of
dependency, their lack of involvement in discharge planning contributed to post-discharge care related
worries and in some cases it was evident that a lack of information was likely to have an adverse effect
on their wellbeing once home.
While the survey data collected in the discharge lounge gave some insight into the experiences of
discharge on the day of discharge, in the following section we explore in more depth the patient journey
before and after discharge. As we shall see, many of the above issues were recurring themes.
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