West Sussex Horsham District Insight on Hospital Admissions Report
Download (PDF 1.67 MB)Summary of report content
Healthwatch West Sussex held several engagement events in July and September 2017 with older people from Horsham and relevant organisations asking about the general experience of hospital admission and discharge to local hospitals. The work was done in partnership with Horsham District Older Peoples Forum, third sector organisations and health and social care providers.
The report identifies a number of key issues around hospital admission and discharge including:
Communication and information: general need for better communication between hospital staff and patients. There needed to be improved written information about the admissions, discharge and medication.
Transport to and from and parking at the hospitals was the most commonly raised negative issue. This included problems with public transport, Community and Voluntary Transport Services, Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services. Issues of lack of information, delays in arrival and pick up and long journeys home. Parking issues included lack of spaces and prohibitive costs.
Issues were also raised in relation to the discharge process: a lack of clear information, long delays in being discharged, long waits for medication, being forced to return home to early, discharged without an agreed care plan or information about services in the community.
Positive experiences were also referenced in the report: 71% of the people who answered survey questions about their hospital experience felt they had a good experience.
Recommendations and guidance made in the report included a list of 'Top Tips' for older people to improve the hospital experience, a review of the effectiveness of Community Transport services, a review of parking arrangements and improved communication and information about the admissions and discharge process.