How to get my dad out of hospital? Is there anything else I can do?

[wakinguptomusic]

3.5 weeks ago my dad had a hip replacement. After a week (and some great physio) he was ready to go home. He has carers (state funded) at home 3 times a day and because he’d been in hospital for 7 days, he needed to be reassessed so the care package could be reinstated. 2.5 weeks later he’s still in hospital, stuck and effectively ‘bed blocking’. He’s desperate to get home!

I’ve tried everything I can think of to get him home but so far, not really been able to get any answers.

He was reassessed (over the phone) by Adult Social Services The funding was approved and my dad’s case went to the ‘care arrangers’ team. Social Services said he’d be released most likely last week but it didn’t happen. I’ve left several messages but no one got back to me. Since then I’ve spoken to hospital discharge team, to the hospital social worker, to the ward manager and although all very nice, they don’t have an update. Spoke also to the care agency (it’ll be the same people who were helping him before he went into hospital) and they’ve not yet received a referral. I spoke to PALS yesterday too and everyone just says it’s the ‘care arrangers’ but I’m not able to speak to them directly.

I’m really aware of the crisis in social care but in this instance, it would seem the hold up is with the hospital (I could be wrong but that’s what it seems) and meanwhile my poor dad is climbing the walls wanting to go home. I think if we had a timeline, we’d be better but we don’t have any information and facing another long weekend in, is really upsetting my dad.

Is there anything else I can do? I don’t want to be a nuisance but it’ll soon be a month and it just seems like a waste of a bed. We’ve been advised against self discharge (I did ask) because he’d then have to re-join the queue and start from scratch.

Trying to work out if there’s anything else I can do or do I just need to be patient?

@hatgirl I appreciate every area is different but I work for the ambulance service and often attend patients in just this circumstance, who have arrived home from hospital with no, or no appropriate, package of care. They don’t have an acute medical need, and have no need or desire to be taken back to hospital so we get onto Adult Social Care and don’t leave until a carer has been arranged to attend that day. It is temporary of course until their normal package is arranged, but often it is the same agency, same carers.

Yes, thankfully I didn’t follow this suggestion. I spoke to the ward manager initially about just taking him home and she strongly advised against it for those reasons. He actually doesn’t need too much care but he needs help getting dressed in the morning and then help getting into bed at night. I could manage that myself for a couple of days by popping back and forward but anything longer would not be sustainable. Anyway we’ve had it triply confirmed his care package starts on Wednesday so I’ve agreed to break him out on Tuesday. He can’t wait to get out!