When someone is ready to leave hospital, moving and handling often decides how quickly they can go and what support they need at home. Equipment has to be in place, and the people who will help them move have to know how.
Where plans get lost
The plan is typically written on the ward, reinterpreted by the community team, and written again by the care provider. Each version is a chance for detail to drop out: the side that works, the cue words that help, the sling size that was tried and fitted.
One plan, not three
The simplest improvement is for the plan written on the ward to be the plan the care provider reads. That means writing it in a form anyone can open, without an account on the hospital's systems, and without personal details that cannot be shared.
What to include before discharge
- The equipment the person will have at home, not only what was used on the ward.
- The number of carers and the technique for each transfer.
- Who it was demonstrated to, and when.
- When and by whom it will be reviewed at home.
Handling Plan lets the ward therapist send the plan straight to the care provider on the CQC register, where it opens with a code on any phone and stays current if it changes.
General information. Local discharge arrangements and trusted assessor schemes vary.