Borough residents asked to share experience of being discharged from hospital

Healthwatch Rochdale wants to learn more about residents' experience of being discharged from hospital

Residents in the Rochdale borough are being asked to share their experience of being discharged from hospital to help identify what is working well and where improvements could be made.

Following the publication of Healthwatch England’s report on hospital discharge, local watchdog Healthwatch Rochdale want to know how the process is working for local people.

The request follows concerns raised at a recent Healthwatch Rochdale advisory group meeting that people were being discharged from hospital without receiving follow up support and were being left with unmet needs.

The hospital discharge process has changed since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic with patients being discharged more quickly from hospital to free up capacity to cope with a surge in demand. This meant anyone who may need out-of-hospital support to help them recover would now have their needs assessed after being discharged, rather than in hospital.

Healthwatch Rochdale is keen to identify where local services are working well and where improvements can be made so it can make recommendations for improvements based the feedback received. Public feedback is used to shape and improve services both locally and nationally.

Kate Jones, Healthwatch Rochdale Chief Executive Officer, said: “We know that local NHS services and staff are working hard in new and challenging circumstances. That is why it is more important than ever to share your experience with Healthwatch Rochdale so that we can work together with the local NHS and let them know what is working well and what needs improving”.

You can share your experience of being discharged from hospital via Healthwatch Rochdale’s feedback form on their website or by telephoning 01706 249 575.