State of Caring Carers UK State of Caring 2017 Report | Page 18

STATE OF CARING REPORT 2017 Carers’ experiences of discharge from hospital As part of a patient’s discharge, hospitals have a duty to consult the patient’s carer about the discharge process. Of those filling out the survey, a third of carers (34%) said the person that they care for had been discharged from hospital within the last year. We asked these carers about their recent experience of hospital discharge. Disappointingly, responses show that the carer’s needs and the support in place were not always properly considered in the discharge process, often leading to poor and distressing outcomes. The majority 58 % with experience of hospital discharge in the previous year said they were either not consulted about the discharge (23%) or were consulted but only at the last minute (35%) The majority of carers (58%) with experience of hospital discharge in the previous year said they were either not consulted about the discharge (23%) or were consulted but only at the last minute (35%). Many carers providing care for someone who had been discharged from hospital in the last year said they were discharged too early, with 23% stating that the person they care for was not ready to come home and 17% saying the support was not available for them to be at home. A further 1 in 10 carers (9%) reported that the person they care for was discharged too early and as a result readmitted to hospital in the following couple of months. These figures remain broadly unchanged from last year. 1 in 10 9 % reported that the person they care for was discharged too early and as a result readmitted to hospital in the following couple of months 18