Going into and leaving hospital

What to do if you have to go into hospital, what happens when you arrive and getting support when you leave

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Continuing your recovery at home

You may need some extra help when you get home from hospital. There are different ways you can get this help.

Home from hospital

Some local organisations 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

Check to see if the following offer home from hospital services in your area:

Reablement

If you have had a short illness or an operation, you might only need support for a short time to recover. We call this reablement. It is also known as 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 assist 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:

Ongoing care

Other arrangements will need to be made if you still need care and support after reablement care.

The reablement provider will talk to you about the options available. If needed they will refer you to the correct services. If you have more questions, you can contact adult social care.

You may be charged for ongoing care. If you need help to pay for your care, we will offer you a financial assessment. This will establish how much you can afford to pay and how much we can pay for you.