Support at home following discharge from hospital should be arranged in the hospital before you leave. If you discharge yourself from hospital there will often be a delay in organising support at home.
When you leave hospital you may need help with things that you could easily manage before. You might need to make small changes for a short while. You may get help from your family or friends until you are able to do things for yourself.
Ward staff can put you in touch with a home from hospital co-ordinator if the hospital has one. You can ask for a family member or friend to be with you to discuss your options.
If you will find it difficult to manage at home without help you will need to have an assessment before you go home, to identify your needs and discuss the support available.
If appropriate, we can arrange short term support for when you return home to help you recover and maintain your independence, for example:
- medicine management
- reablement
- provision of aids and equipment
- rehabilitation e.g. physiotherapy + occupational therapy
- confidence building
- continence care
- help with preparing meals
- personal care e.g. washing and dressing
We do not usually provide the following:
- domestic activities e.g. routine cleaning
- shopping
- laundry
- care of pets
- finances
Some elements of care may be funded by the NHS for a short time period following discharge from hospital. You should receive information about this, if it applies to you, as part of the discharge process.
Care Network Help at Home Service
Care Network offers a free Help at Home service for any adult who has left hospital. This is up to six weeks of practical and emotional support.
Care Network also has Community Navigators who can provide information and guidance. They can also direct you to other organisations which can help you. Find out more about Community Navigators.
Sourcing care privately
You can organise your own care when leaving hospital. We would recommend that you find an agency through the Guide to Independent Living, working in partnership with us and/or NHS Choices, to find suitable care and check it meets national standards. The Care Quality Commission website can tell you about providers’ standards of quality and safety.
Support for carers
Caring Together provide support to carers in Cambridgeshire.
Making Space offer carer support service for those caring for someone with a mental health condition who is between 18 - 65 years old in Cambridgeshire.
Centre 33 provide support for young carers across Cambridgeshire.
Contact details for hospital discharge planning teams
If you were discharged from Addenbrooke's Hospital:
South Transfer of Care Team
Addenbrooke's Hospital, PO Box 195, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 2QQ
Tel: 01223 729165
Email: discharge.dutyteam@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
More information on preparing to leave Addenbrooke's
If you were discharged from Hinchingbrooke Hospital:
North Transfer of Care Team
Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Huntingdon, PE29 6NT
Tel: 01223 703550
If you were discharged from Peterborough City Hospital:
North Transfer of Care Team, Level 3, Peterborough City Hospital, Edith Cavell Campus, Bretton Gate, Peterborough PE3 9GZ
Telephone: 01733 677 518
