Leaving hospital: what to expect

Ensuring your discharge is safe, timely and supported

Leaving hospital is an important step in your recovery. Our teams will work with you to make sure your discharge is safe, timely and supported.

From the point you arrive on the ward, we will begin planning for your discharge. This helps ensure you can leave hospital as soon as you are ready and continue your recovery in the most appropriate place.

When you are ready to leave hospital

You will be discharged once your clinical team confirms that you are medically ready to leave the ward.

For many patients, this means returning home. For others, it may involve moving to another setting for further care or recovery, such as a community hospital or a care setting.

Your next step will always be based on your individual needs. While we will aim to place you as close to home as possible, this may not always be the nearest location.

The Discharge Lounge

At both Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham, most patients will spend time in our Discharge Lounge before leaving hospital.

The Discharge Lounge is a comfortable, calm environment where patients can wait for final discharge arrangements.

You may be waiting for:

your discharge letter
medication from pharmacy
transport home or to your next place of care

Moving to the Discharge Lounge does not delay your discharge. You will not wait any longer in the lounge, than you would on the ward.

Our Discharge Lounge teams are made up of experienced nurses and healthcare assistants who will continue to support your care during this time.

What to expect

While you are in the lounge, you will be supported by our team and have access to:

comfortable seating or bed spaces where needed
food, snacks and hot and cold drinks
toilets and washing facilities
entertainment such as television, reading materials and WiFi

You will continue to receive any care you need while you wait, including support with medications and ongoing clinical needs.

Family members, friends or carers may be able to stay with you, depending on space.

Getting home or to your next place of care

Where possible, we encourage patients to make their own way home with support from family, friends or carers.

Hospital transport is only available for patients who meet specific NHS England clinical criteria. If this applies to you, our teams will arrange this as part of your discharge.

If you are being collected, please ask the person picking you up to come directly to the Discharge Lounge.

Planning ahead for discharge

Once you know your discharge date, it can help to prepare in advance. You may wish to consider:

how you will get home
whether someone can support you when you arrive
access to your home, such as keys or entry arrangements
having suitable clothing and footwear ready
restarting your care packeges

Planning ahead can help avoid delays and make your discharge smoother.

Frequently asked questions

The Discharge Lounge provides a more relaxed environment while you wait and allows ward beds to be available for patients who need urgent care.

This can vary depending on your discharge arrangements, but it is usually up to a few hours. You will not wait longer than you would on the ward.

Yes. You will continue to be cared for by trained staff who can support your needs while you wait.

Yes, where space allows. You can also stay in contact with them using your mobile phone.

Getting home?

Please make arrangements for someone to collect you from the Lounge. If there is no one who could pick you up, consider if you could use public transport or if you could pay for a taxi to get you home more quickly (some people may be eligible for financial support to help pay for public transport).

If you meet the following criteria, you may be eligible to access patient transport: