Hospital is not the best place for our patients, when they no longer need medical care.

We know that once medically fit, our hospitals are not the most suitable place for our patients and keeping them within a hospital environment for longer than they need to be places them at risk.

Keeping patients out of hospital or getting them home sooner, during winter becomes more important as the demand for services rise, colder months approach and winter bugs, such as flu begins to spread in the community. 

Below are some of the ways you and your departments can help ease the patient flow through the hospital and get patients to where they need to be, whether this is to the next stage of their journey in hospital, home or the next best place for their care. 

  • Encourage patients to remain mobile, stay hydrated and eat little and often (if they are able to).
  • Request in-reach as soon as possible
  • Parallel planning to enable swift discharge. This means identifying what our patients need from the earliest point. It prevents delays to care, reduces length of stay and prepares patients for a safe and timely discharge.
  • Make sure patient information leaflets are shared.

  • Respond to requests for in reach into emergency department within 30mins
  • Support with post round ward take (the list of patients who are medically referred requiring a ward round – in ED or AMU)
  • Respond in a timely way to Day 2 patient reviews

  • Planning for discharge on arrival.
  • Encourage patients to sit out of bed for meals and visitors
  • Talk to patients and families about what support is needed to help get them home sooner
  • Make early referrals to other support services to support timely discharge
  • Discharge patients before noon to enable beds to be available for new admissions
  • Ensure all patients have an EDD in place by 5PM
  • Consider if your patients could have the diagnostics as an outpatient follow up instead: https://bit.ly/FollowupDiagnostics
  • Consider if your patients are suitable for Virtual Ward: https://bit.ly/LUHFTVirtualWards
  • Aim to get RFD patients to Discharge Lounge by 10am
  • Utilise discharge lounge. Patients waiting to go home can be transferred to Discharge Lounge to await TTOs
  • Book transport night before
  • Provide patients with the right information to support their recovery to prevent readmission

For medical teams:

  • Write TTOs early in the day to allow timely processing.
  • Remember Saturday & Sunday Pharmacy close at 3PM
  • Let pharmacy know if extra clinics are happening in evenings and weekends

For nursing teams:

  • Order stock CDs before the weekend to avoid supply gaps.
  • Check ward stock lists before placing medication orders to reduce unnecessary requests.
  • Notify pharmacy promptly once TTOs are written for faster turnaround.
  • Transfer patients’ medicines when they move wards to maintain continuity of care and minimise re-supplies.
  • Remember Saturday & Sunday Pharmacy close at 3PM

For To Come In patients (TCIs) and Management Teams:

  • Please give as much notice if opening or closing a ward as medicines supplies will need to be made and returned to ensure safe storage
  • Encourage patients to bring in their own medicines where appropriate to prevent delays and reduce unnecessary supplies

Highlight a colleague for their efforts in getting a patient home, supporting discharge or going above and beyond to support reducing length of stay.

Send your ‘Winter Wonders’ story to us each week by emailing: communciations@liverpoolft.nhs.uk