Discharge planning

Planning your discharge

Planning for your discharge may start as soon as you are admitted to hospital, or even before if your stay was planned in advance. The healthcare professional in charge of your treatment will aim to discharge you as soon as you are well enough for your care and medical needs to be met outside of a hospital. Staying in hospital when you no longer need to is bad for your health and independence, and is bad for the hospital as they have fewer beds available for new patients.

The discharge plan

You should only be discharged from hospital once you have a discharge plan in place. Your discharge plan will include the details of your medical condition, medications and ongoing or follow-up treatment. It will also include any medical or care and support needs you will have on discharge, and details of any services and equipment that will be put in place to meet them. Family members, or your carer if you have one, have a right to be involved in planning your discharge. See our Adult Carer guide for information about the rights of carers in Scotland. If you have granted Power of Attorney for welfare or for money matters, your attorney should be involved in relevant decisions too. For more information about Power of Attorney, see our Power of Attorney in

A guide for adult carers in Scotland A guide to Power of Attorney in Scotland

Scotland guide. You should have a copy of your discharge plan before you leave. A carer, family member or friend can also be given a copy, with your permission.

The assessment

In order to decide if you can be discharged, and to prepare your discharge plan, an assessment will be carried out by a number of people, who may include: • your doctor or consultant • the nursing staff • a social worker or occupational therapist • the discharge co-ordinator Depending on your needs, the assessment may also include input from additional specialists, for example: • a physiotherapist • a community psychiatric nurse • a pharmacist • an incontinence adviser • a dietician