These pages provide information to support stroke survivors leaving hospital. If you're a family member, friend or unpaid carer, you may also find the information helpful and relevant.
Leaving hospital: what happens now?
Your recovery from a stroke is not limited to the time you spend in the hospital. When you're ready to leave the hospital, your stroke team will work with you to agree and arrange the support you need to continue your recovery.
In the early days, you are likely to be focusing on one day at a time, which is understandable. There are a lot of changes to come to terms with. But staying informed will help you feel more in control and confident about making decisions when you need to.
From preparing to leave hospital and the discharge process in hospital to financial help or essential home adaptations, here are the main things you may need to consider:
Leaving hospital frequently asked questions
Depending on how serious your stroke is, you may stay in hospital for anything from a few days to a few months. You might move to a rehabilitation ward. You'll work with a team of health professionals specialising in stroke.
Your healthcare team will help you plan for your discharge. They will talk to you about:
- what your needs might be when you leave hospital and how they will be met
- how you will be able to leave hospital
- decide what day you might leave hospital. This is known as your expected date of discharge (EDD).
You and your family or carers should be involved in decisions around discharge. You should only be discharged when:
- your healthcare team think you are well enough
- you have a written discharge plan describing the support you will get
- the support has been organised so your needs can be safely met.
- it’s been established you have a safe environment to go to.
What is hospital discharge?
‘Discharge’ is the term used when someone leaves hospital after treatment. This should only happen once your stroke team decides you no longer need the level of medical care that you’ve been receiving in hospital, and you can continue your rehabilitation and recovery outside of hospital.
Discharge can involve going home, transferring to a stroke rehabilitation unit, or moving to a care home or other setting, based on your individual needs and a discharge plan.
Each hospital has its own discharge policy. The discharge process may also be different depending on where you live.
Early supported discharge
Early supported discharge (ESD) lets you leave hospital as early as possible, if you are able. It allows you to receive the same rehabilitation care, at the same level you would get in hospital, at home.
ESD is not suitable for everyone, so it's only likely to be offered if you have a certain amount of movement (if you're able to safely move yourself from a bed to a chair, for example) and your stroke team is sure you have a safe and secure home environment to go to. Your social worker and hospital discharge coordinator should work with you to arrange any practical help you need at home, such as help getting washed and dressed.
Stroke Support Helpline
Our Stroke Support Helpline is here for you. Whether you need information, or to chat when times are tough, our friendly team is just a phone call or email away. Call us on 0303 3033 100 or email helpline@stroke.org.uk
