It can be very hard to think ahead when someone you care for is in hospital. We’d like to share our useful guidance on what to expect when someone is ‘coming out of hospital’. Coming out of hospital | Carers UK
Carers’ assessments can be a stepping stone to more support including care services, further advice and information. See our animation to find out more. Carers’ Assessments - YouTube
In April it was almost impossible to get through to the Ward(s) my husband was in. Also I do not drive so visiting was not really a viable option especially as I did not know if he was going to be taken to the hospital that specialises in heart issues.
I honestly think it is very naive to think in this climate that the Discharge Policy is going to be adhered to in most cases, or carers consulted on if they can cope. So many posts in the Forum seem to substantiate my views?
@CUK_Membership_Team as per @selinakylie response take a look at our posts on Recovery after hip replacement
(just so folks don’t have to re-type it all here!) especially from @Chris_22081 recent experience and @Tracey_22051 ongoing issues
I applaud the work on developing and publishing these guides of what Should happen and what we Should be aware of - I shared these with @Tracey_22051 . However, even IF we have time, and can Arm ourselves to quote it to doctors, nurses, or others e.g. OT, the reality is low probability of things going smoothly or as per guides. Your 2021 report which highlights multiple issues still stands true today: 'Carers' experiences of hospital discharge: Discharge to Assess model' | Carers UK
As carers have no power to hold people accountable, we can be ignored,
Because the services hospital to community are fragmented we end up being the ones trying to chase & connect information and comms (multiple times)
Often give up complaining because the burden of proof is on us to demonstrate why & how things went wrong, whilst simultaneously we are caring for our loved one who’s been discharged too early.
There is a postcode lottery of good cases. This is why I often highly recommend that friends travel, if possible, to a teaching hospital or centre of excellence hospital for elective surgery. There are no options for a crisis/emergency hospitalisation & discharge.
On a very personal note my Dad, who’s passed, had rheumatoid arthritis and couldn’t pick up the beaker cup easily or cut food to eat easily on his own. Whilst there were issues post bladder transection in terms of his care, it was a VERY difficult line to walk, in terms of complaining and ensuring he was literally fed and watered, We were lucky that an adjacent patient was vocal and shouted at a nurse to properly help Dad. at discharge we just wanted to get him out of there. No point in sharing other numerous issues, or errors in letters.
Should happen and reality are very far apart, unfortunately!
In a nutshell ‘What should happen and the reality’ is just so different.
Please read the posts Victoria highlighted - the ‘real world’ and ‘carers experiences’ no way match what SHOULD happen in most cases. I also agree most carers are physically and mentally exhausted and even the mega articulate ones have the fight drained out of them. I really wish we could get an MP to read some of these posts…
So true !!!
I am still waiting for a response from my MP whom I challenged about Carer’s Rights a month ago. He promised to come back to me…
At the time I sent him a copy of the two articles which I was asked to write for CarersUK and were published towards the end of last year. One was the ‘Cost of Caring’ describing my day from 4am til 1030pm and the other about how I was ‘thrown in at the deep end’. I thought IF he or someone in his office would read them it MIGHT give them a clearer understanding of what so many of us go through I did point out that as a 24/7 Carer on C.A. it means I get ‘paid’ £0.4668 per hour. I asked how that fits with the National Minimum Wage as I had been forced to give up work and am saving the Government tens of thousands of pounds a year in providing care for him. Proved even more that I did the O.T.'s job on his latest discharge from hospital… I will give him another couple of weeks and start to remind him I AM still here…
Give him Hell, Chris! Although I’d guess that your MP is currently dealing with the Boris fallout…which I won’t say any more about, other than that a large number of MPs have a lot to think about at the moment…
Oh he was originally a Boris supporter but I gather he did vote against him in the end.
The delay in replying will be down to his office taking a fornight to write to Dept of Health then they take a few weeks wondering who might know the answers and scratching their heads before sending back a ‘holding letter’ and then eventually someone might try to cobble together an answer about how the value of C.A. was arrived at - which will bear NO relation tot he actual situation and then it will be a couple more weeks before his office sends a reply…
Then we will be heading towards the next election and he will be far too busy trying to say his seat to bother about Constituents…
Cynical? Me? Of course I am !!
It’s funny I sent my brother in USA a message about Boris resigning last Friday and I got one back ‘He’s as bad as Trump’… I was shocked he has always believed everything Trump has said (cos he watches Fox News all the time and they ALWAYS tell the truth). Perhaps he has seen the light.
I did like the comment about Boris being “Pound Shop Trump”. A classic put-down if ever I heard one. Anyway enough of politics - lets leave that to the elected children!
Morning! I just saw this post - A group effort for all carers
could you share your articles and letter?
Hi Victoria - I saw that as well. I will post on there a bit later - rushing around a bit right now.
Hi please check my post with the latest
Hello, ill ipdate the post
Hi Victoria, here it is. See what i mean. Increase Carer's Allowance to equal 35hrs at National Minimum Wage - Petitions
I presented this as a motion at a Carers Conference in 2004, nearly 20 years ago.