Our hospital social work team help you live as independently as possible after leaving hospital. We work with your carers to:

• plan for you to leave hospital safely
• arrange the care you need at home

We have teams based at Royal Bournemouth Hospital and Poole Hospital. If you’re staying at a community hospital, we can visit you.

If you’re due to leave hospital and will need care after you leave, nursing staff will contact us for you. They will do this without your permission.

Help from family or friends

Assistance from family or friends may be required for managing at home. Speak with them and the ward staff to organise your return.

Additionally, community services may be available to assist you in settling back home, such as those offered by the Red Cross. The hospital can assist with arranging this.

How we can help

We’ll talk about what you can do for yourself and what you need help with to live independently. This is called an assessment of needs. Your carer can be with you when we talk to you.

Short term support

There are various short-term support services that can support you on your return home to help your further recovery.

It may be better for you to receive short-term support in a community hospital or care facility whilst you continue to recover and before you return home. Hospital professionals will discuss this option with you, if it is recommended for your recovery.

Long term support

You might need long term support to help you to stay in your own home. This can include:

• occupational therapy
• care at home
• meals at home
• going to a day centre to regain skills
• rehabilitation to help you regain skills
• finding out about extra care housing or care homes if you cannot live at home

e will not charge you for an assessment of needs or any advice we give you but you may be asked to pay towards the cost of your support after you leave hospital. The amount you can afford to contribute will be calculated following a financial assessment.

Care Act assessment

For circumstance where a short-term service will not meet your needs, there may be a requirement to complete a Care Act Assessment before you leave.

A Care Act assessment helps us to understand your care and support needs and how these can be met. It involves talking to you and anyone you wish to also be included to find out what’s important to you.

This will only be done with your consent.

A social care worker will visit you on the ward. If you find it hard to be involved in the conversation, and you don’t have family or friends who can help, you can have an advocate to help make your views known.

Paying for your care

You may need to pay for your own care.

You or your family can arrange this, or you can ask the hospital for assistance. 

If you have paid carers at home

If you usually have support from paid carers funded by us or self-funded, hospital staff will evaluate this to decide whether to maintain the current arrangement. This may result in you being able to return home from the hospital with no changes to your care.

Contact us

Leaving the hospital can be worrying if you are not sure what will happen when you get home.

Talk to ward staff who will support or direct you to the appropriate professional who will be able to help.

If you have any questions, call us on 0300 019 4744 for Royal Bournemouth Hospital or 01202 128 999 for Poole Hospital.