Planning Your Discharge

At King Edward VII’s Hospital, we ensure that every step of your treatment is as comfortable and straightforward as possible.

This includes supporting you, your family or your carers on your return home.

We ask you to complete a pre-assessment questionnaire before you arrive, with details of your previous medical history, any medication you are taking, your plans to get to and from the hospital and your support needs at home. Pre-operative assessment nurses will advise you, your family or carers about appropriate support and care available to you in the community.

Your consultant and the ward team will discuss your expected discharge date with you so that you can start to make plans. The date will be confirmed by your consultant when you are seen as medically fit.

Your discharge nurse will ensure you have all of the information you need to recover at home, care for your wound dressings (if necessary) and take home medication as needed.

If you, your family or carers have any questions about your discharge home, please discuss these with your nurse.

If you require any prescribed medicines when leaving, the Hospital will arrange these for you prior to your discharge home. The cost of take home medication is not usually covered by your health insurance. We will ensure you have enough medication for a few days or a short course of therapy and further supplies can be obtained from your GP. Please tell us if you have any medicines at home so that we do not arrange an additional supply.

A nurse or pharmacist will talk you through any possible side effects you need to be aware of.

Please note that parking is very limited around the hospital and there is no onsite parking. See the transport section for further information.

Inpatients

If you are an inpatient, you will be able to go home by 10am on your day of discharge.

Day cases

If you’re a day case patient, you can usually go home once you have had something to eat and drink, feel able to walk around steadily and have passed urine. If you’ve had general anaesthetic or sedation, it’s important that you arrange for someone to collect you and stay with you overnight. It’s not safe for you to drive or use public transport on your own.

Please ensure that you have all of your personal belongings when you leave, including chargers, x-rays, imaging CDs and medications. Don’t forget to check your bedside locker and the safe as well.

If we find anything in your room we will contact you so you can arrange to collect it. We will keep these items for four weeks before disposing of them.

In some cases, you may need to take time off work post-surgery. If you need a sick certificate for your employer, your consultant or nurse will arrange it.

Support And Aftercare >