Healthwatch Brighton and Hove Hospital Discharge Wellbeing Project (HOPs) April 2020 to April 2021

Healthwatch Brighton and Hove’s Hospital Discharge Wellbeing Project (HOPs) was established in April 2020 to provide a follow-up wellbeing call to people shortly after discharge from hospital. By April 2021, 3,095 people had been referred and 1,722 had received a successful follow-up call from trained volunteers. The project aimed to identify any problems after discharge, provide reassurance and help people access community support where needed. The service was recognised nationally as an example of good practice and featured in national discussions about improving hospital discharge support. 

The project identified a significant ongoing need for support after discharge. Twenty-eight per cent of people contacted reported questions or concerns following discharge, and 24% were referred on for additional community support. Common issues included care packages, medication queries, equipment needs, problems accessing services and wider wellbeing concerns. Volunteers also identified people experiencing loneliness, financial hardship, food insecurity, safeguarding concerns and unmet social care needs. 

Feedback about the service was extremely positive. Ninety-nine per cent of people accepted the wellbeing call, 97% found it helpful and 75% agreed to future contact. The project helped resolve practical issues such as missing equipment, uncertainty about medication, lack of support at home and difficulties accessing appropriate services. Only four discharge cases required escalation because discharge arrangements appeared not to have been managed appropriately, providing reassurance about the overall safety of local discharge processes.

Healthwatch concluded that HOPs provided an important safety net for people returning home from hospital. The project demonstrated the value of proactive follow-up, signposting and early identification of problems that may not be apparent at discharge. NHS staff, council partners and volunteers consistently described the service as helping people feel supported, improving communication and reducing the risk that vulnerable patients would fall through gaps in the system after leaving hospital.