Spending the New Year in hospital may be necessary for some but, for many patients, home is the best place to be. If you have a loved one or a family member in hospital, you can help get them home if they are well enough to leave care.

It’s much better for a patient’s physical and mental wellbeing to leave hospital as soon as they are medically fit for going home. People usually recover faster and more fully at home, and discharge teams will make sure they have all the support they need to do so.

The benefits of continuing recovery at home, where patients are in a more familiar and relaxed environment, are huge – especially with the love and support of their families and friends. Colleagues across our hospitals are working closely with patients to plan for them to safely leave hospital, ensuring they are medically fit to go home for 2025.

By getting patients who are ready to leave hospital back home, space can be made on wards to care for people waiting to be admitted, either in an emergency, or for a planned operation.

What you can do to help:

If you have a family member, a friend or a neighbour in hospital, there are several things you can do to support them leaving hospital, including:

• Staying in contact with the ward they are on, so everyone is clear on the expected date of going home.

• Supporting with any necessary arrangements to provide suitable clothing and shoes for the journey home and understanding ongoing medication needs.

• Organising the patient’s transport home – NHS funded transport is only available in exceptional circumstances.

• Making sure the place that they call home is warm and has basic supplies like milk, tea, and bread ready for their arrival.

• There are also voluntary services available in the community that can assist with getting patients home, so please ask our ward staff for further information.

• If you have a family member or loved one ready to leave hospital, please talk to our ward staff about how you can help.