Help leaving hospital
If you are going into hospital you may need help when you leave to continue to live in your home. If requested, a Social Worker will look into what help you need and decide with you what support can be provided.
What does this service offer?
Hospital Social Workers work closely with the medical, nursing and other staff to assess what needs you may have whilst you are in hospital or when you leave. After your assessment a Social Worker/Care Manager might offer the following services after your agreement:
- information about services provided by other agencies and us
- assessment of your social care needs
- assessment with your carer of your carer's needs
- planning with you and arranging a package of care which may include one or more of a number of services (e.g. Day care, domiciliary care)
- monitoring of your care package
- review and re-assessment with you of your social care needs
It is available to:
- in-patients
- day patients
- people attending out-patients clinics
Priority is given to discharge planning, with special reference to those needing support at home to live independently or transfer alternative care.
How do we decide if you qualify for this service?
If you or your carers would like further information about this service you should telephone the Hospital Social Work Team (Solihull Hospital) on 0121 424 5119 or Heartlands Hospital 0121 424 3120.
A Duty Social Worker is available in the department from 8.45 am to 5.20 pm Mondays to Thursdays and until 4.30 pm on Fridays.
A Social Worker will assess your needs - See "Needs Assessment". Where people, including carers, can make their own arrangements they will be asked to do so.
If your situation changes you can be re-assessed at any time. You can ask to be re-assessed, or your doctor or the nursing staff will say that they feel it is important. We will take your views into account at all stages. Your partner/carer/family will be involved where this is appropriate.
Help at home following hospital discharge
The aim of this service is to help people with personal and practical tasks after a stay in hospital.
What does this service offer?
This Home Care service helps you on your return home after a stay in hospital.
We can offer:
- personal care (dressing, washing)
- practical tasks, some housework and shopping
- two weeks of up to 15 hours of help per week
- Support
- Help
The Hospital Discharge Service is provided free of charge. However this may change if you need ongoing care. If you had help at home before going into hospital you will receive that service and not the Hospital Discharge Service.
How do we decide if you qualify for this service?
You or your carer are welcome to contact your local Adult Care Team (see Contact Details below), or the Hospital Social Work Team on the numbers below.
You can arrange for a Social Worker to come and assess your needs to find out if the service can help you. Your request for information or help will be acknowledged within two working days.
If the service is necessary to you, we will make every effort will to ensure that you are provided with the help during the rehabilitation period. We try to make sure you are not put on a waiting list, but the Social Worker will let you know if there are any delays.
Your Social Worker will assess your needs with you and agree an amount of time that help should be provided and the tasks that will be undertaken by our staff. This is written down and is called your “care plan” and a copy is given to you.
If the service is refused and you are not satisfied with the reasons given to you, it is possible to talk through your concerns with the Social Worker's Team Manager.
If your circumstances change when you are receiving the Hospital Discharge Service you should contact your Social Worker on the numbers above. We will listen to your views at all stages.
Help that may be available to you could include:
- Meals at Home
- Home Care
- Day Care
- Adult Carers for support for family members who are caring for you.
It may be that when you leave hospital, you will need to go into a residential or nursing home. This could be temporary, to give you time to recover more fully, or to get services started for you at home, or it might be permanent. Our staff can help arrange this, or give you advice if you are able to make your own arrangements.