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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Who's job is it to discharge from hospital

83 replies

Toughtips · 09/08/2018 16:39

And why does it take all day? Been waiting since 2:30. Meeting required was done ages ago. Now gonna be released into rush hour traffic. Just wanna go home.

OP posts:

IHaveBrilloHair · 09/08/2018 18:27

Oh it's a pain, it takes ages.
Even when It had it pretty much confirmed for days I could go home on the Friday, and had checked all my meds were there it still took hours.

Tweakanddashi · 09/08/2018 18:28

I would also say that sometimes the consultant says "we are aiming for home later this afternoon if the blood results are ok and when I've spoken to the physio and when we get your medication back" but the patient hears/remembers the word HOME and not much else (not for the OP but for the people above wishing that consultants wouldn't tell people they can go home).

Luckymummy22 · 09/08/2018 18:33

DD discharges as soon as possible last week - probably because it was late at night and they wanted rid!! In fairness she could have stayed because of the time but wanted home.

Last time it was 8 hours or so later.........

Armchairanarchist · 09/08/2018 18:39

If you're ever told you're going to wait for meds ask them to write it up on a green prescription (in-house they use white) then you can pick it up at any chemist.

Sashkin · 09/08/2018 18:39

We usually do discharge letters the night before (or overnight, the night SHOs on our team aren’t that busy). But the drugs still often din’t Come up from pharmacy until gone 8pm. Then we have to book transport.

We have had patients who need changes to their dosette box who stay in for up to three days after they are medically fit, just waiting for meds. It drives us mad but that is the result of NHs funding freezes - it affects the “behind-the-scenes” services first.

prettymum · 09/08/2018 18:40

Work in a hospital pharmacy
Doctor has to write up discharge and if any medication prescribed, has to be screened by a pharmacist
Pharmacist will then send the tto to be dispensed
Pharmacy will dispense in order tto are received and remember they are also dispensing for inpatients and some hospitals outpatients too.
This time of the year is even worse as staff on annual leave for summer so very short on staff and extra busy.

OraangeSoda · 09/08/2018 18:45

If you're ever told you're going to wait for meds ask them to write it up on a green prescription (in-house they use white) then you can pick it up at any chemist.

I’ve been a nurse for 12 years and never heard of this.

HoleyCoMoley · 09/08/2018 18:47

You've only been waiting two hours. If you need a discharge letter this can be sent to you and g.p. If you needs meds you can pick them up later, tomorrow, or ask them to write a green script so you can go to any local pharmacy. Once you're discharged you can go, you don't have to stay but you get a chance to speak to the Dr, nurse, pharmacists or any other specialist if you have any last minute queries, get a months free medication, usually get sandwiches and a hot drink. It's frustrating but the staff don't deliberately hold things up and in many cases they've saved someone's life.

IHaveBrilloHair · 09/08/2018 18:48

I tell them I have my own meds, as I do.
I needed one thing which I was assured was on the ward the day before, still took them ages to sort it out, ditto my discharge letter.
I have to go in a lot so I know the system.

LumpSatAloneInABoggyMarsh · 09/08/2018 18:49

I was recently in for a couple of weeks and saw many patients go through the 'stages of discharge grief' as I called it.

When it was my turn to go I knew enough to not have myself packed and perched at the end of the bed within half hour of the Dr saying I could go.

I had my lunch then asked if I could go sit in the discharge lounge because it was nice to see 4 different walls (and a TV!) and they are quite on the ball when it comes to tracking down meds and letters!

IHaveBrilloHair · 09/08/2018 18:49

I also take my own meds into hospital as many times they apparently can't get one drug or another

MsChanandlerBoing · 09/08/2018 18:56

If you're ever told you're going to wait for meds ask them to write it up on a green prescription (in-house they use white) then you can pick it up at any chemist.

These are the FP10 prescriptions that GPs use - hospitals will only give these in VERY exceptional circumstances and unfortunately a patient having to wait a long time is not one of them. Otherwise why would they have an in hospital pharmacy?

FromNowOn · 09/08/2018 19:07

I also take my own meds into hospital as many times they apparently can't get one drug or another

Everyone should take their own medication into hospital. Then we wouldn’t waste time trying to reorder everything, which can take hours. Or trying to guess what patients are taking at home.

And yes some drugs are difficult to get hold of or the hospital only uses an alternative.

ThioSuxTube · 09/08/2018 19:14

Agree Mrschanandler. FP10s are like gold dust

hibbledibble · 09/08/2018 19:21

2 hours is not all day. I'm guessing op hasn't returned because she was discharged shortly after this.

FP10s are not available in most hospital wards. Also legally, an FY1 doctor cannot write one, and there may not be another doctor available to do the discharge prescription.

If you have had enough not waiting for a prescription then by all means go home and return when the prescription is ready.

Regardless of the reason you are waiting, you are free to leave at any time (of course providing you are not sectioned)

Pandoraslastchance · 09/08/2018 19:24

Dr round at 9am "patient can go home" and then off they go to do either more ward rounds or review other patients. Patient gets understandably excited.

Nurse then spends the next 4 hours chasing the team to write discharge medication(tto) and discharge letter. whilst also trying to complete other ward rounds, drug rounds,admin iv medication, dressings,bathing and toileting patients as well as paper work for 8 patients.
Discharge papers usually rock up some point early afternoon(some aren't signed so then you get to chase some poor junior doc for a signature)
They need to be checked against patients current supply of medications in their locker on the ward(we have to send 2 weeks supply of all medications home) plus check they have upto date accurate labels ie "one tablet once a day" so sometimes the meds have to be relabled by pharmacy

Then the meds and the discharge prescription will be sent to pharmacy who double check everything.
Pharmacy porter does 5 rounds a day with meds(but if you give him a cuppa and a biscuit he will often do an extra run for you)
Then the meds have to be double checked my two nurses and explained to the patient.

If I had my way the doctors wouldn't be allowed to say "you can go home" to a patient without having a discharge tto and letter in their hand both signed and allergy status filled in correctly and medication prescribed as per policy.

Pandoraslastchance · 09/08/2018 19:26

But yes by all means if you can go.home and come to collect later then please do as your bed will have had another patient assigned to it by the time ward round finished at 0930 that morning.

And don't ask for paracetamol,etc on prescription as it just delays the whole system etc.

GirlsBlouse17 · 09/08/2018 19:27

Given that we always hear there is a shortage of beds in hospitals, you'd assume they would want to work quickly to free up the beds asap

bookworm14 · 09/08/2018 19:31

Absolutely standard I’m afraid. When I was in with pneumonia recently, I was told I was being discharged in the morning and didn’t actually leave until 6pm!

anniehm · 09/08/2018 19:35

When they say you will be discharged today, it doesn't mean immediately especially if continuing care plans need to be written, drugs dispensed etc. Some wards will be quicker than others, depending upon the number of discharges. If you don't need drugs/paperwork you can just go of course, I did after having my daughter as the breakfast was horrible (brown toast and margarine, plus only white tea as the milk was pre added ick).

Namechangeforthiscancershit · 09/08/2018 19:36

they would want to work quickly to free up the beds asap

No one is working slowly! They are just massively stretched. I have waited most of a day for discharge plenty of times and it’s not because any one could work quicker- it’s because there are 25 patients to look after and me getting home in time for Come Dine With Me is not their biggest priority.

Pandoraslastchance · 09/08/2018 19:39

Girlsblouse- they are working hard,fucking hard in fact to get people out as we need the meds as much as you want to go home.

Personally I've dropped medication off at a care home or patients home address on the way home as we were that desperate to get patients home that we could not wait for the meds to be ready.

Please feel free to volunteer as a porter or ward runner to speed things up.

IHaveBrilloHair · 09/08/2018 19:40

I don't disagree FromNowOn, but its difficult if its an emergency admission.
I keep a bag packed now but many people won't anticipate this happening, and tbf who would think there'd be a shortage of meds in hospital?

greathat · 09/08/2018 19:40

I remember being in once on IV antibiotics. Then once i came off them I was told I was going to be discharged but it was Really Really Really important I kept taking them at regular intervals. They told me first thing in the morning. I didn't get discharged til 10pm when they gave me the antibiotic tablets. So I'd not been able to take for them for the entire day. As they'd basically told me it was 50/50 two days before I was quite anxious about it...

greathat · 09/08/2018 19:41

Ah yes and I got no food :(

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