Hospital stays

It’s good to be prepared before going into hospital. Try to get answers to your questions before you get there and spend time thinking about things you might want to take with you – like medication, hearing aids, or toiletries.

You should have been told the details of the treatment or procedure you’ll be having. If the hospital stay is planned, you should receive an admission letter with information such as:

• the date and time of your appointment
• where to go on the day
• whether you can eat or drink before your appointment
• the name of the consultant-led team in charge of your care
• contact details of the hospital department or ward.

Make sure you’ve read and understood the letter. Contact the hospital if there’s anything you’re unsure about and let them know if you have any special needs or require a translator. You can find the contact details for your hospital through the NHS website.

You may also be asked to attend a pre-admission assessment before your admission. This is a good time to ask any questions. If you aren't offered one of these, or have any more questions later on, make a note of them so you can ask staff when you arrive at the hospital. If you’ve been admitted to hospital in an emergency, you can still ask the staff on your ward if you have any questions or need help.

If you need help getting to the hospital, speak to your GP or the healthcare professional who referred you to hospital to find out what transport might be available from the hospital or from local charities. You might be able to get help to pay for this – for more information, visit our page Help with health costs.

If you’re getting any benefits, you'll need to get in touch with the office that pays your benefits. You need to contact them twice - to let them know:

• when you’re admitted to hospital 
• when you leave hospital. 

This is because some benefits stop being paid after a while if you’re admitted to an NHS hospital. Your State Pension won’t be affected.

Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance stop after you’ve been in hospital for 28 days. If you leave hospital and are readmitted within 28 days, the two stays are counted as one. This is sometimes called the ‘linking rule’. It means the days from the two periods are added together. 

If your disability benefits stop, this may impact any means tested benefits you get – like Pension Credit. If this happens, call our Helpline on 0800 319 6789 to arrange to speak with an advisor.

If someone gets Carer’s Allowance or Carer Support Payment for looking after you, this may continue for up to 12 weeks if they or you are in hospital. However, if your disability benefit is stopped after 28 days the Carers Allowance and Carer Support Payment will stop at the same time. 

Your benefits will restart when you return home.

If the person you’re caring for will need respite care while you’re in hospital and recovering afterwards, you should contact your council’s adult social services department to ask for a care needs assessment for them. Let the council know if the situation is urgent or if your hospital stay is unplanned – they may arrange a temporary care package for the person you care for until a full assessment can be arranged.

If the person you care for already gets help from the council, emergency plans should be included in their care and support plan. Check that these plans are still up to date and relevant.

Once you’re in hospital, you should be able to ask staff questions about your treatment and raise any concerns you have with them. You should be told who your consultant and named nurse are. The staff on the ward may seem busy, but you should still ask for help if you need it.

If you don’t think you’re getting the answers you need, you can speak to the hospital:

• Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) in England and Wales
• Patient Advice and Support Service (PASS) in Scotland.

If you find it difficult to ask questions or understand information and you don’t have a relative or friend to support you, you may be able to get help from an independent advocate. For more information, see our free factsheet Helping you get your voice heard: Independent Advocacy.

Before you’re discharged, the hospital should make sure you’ll be able to cope at home. You – and, if you want, your family or carers – should be involved in any planning for your discharge.

Plans for your discharge should start from the day you arrive in hospital. You should be fully involved in this process. Some questions you can ask about your discharge include:

• What date and time will I be discharged?
• What help and support will I receive after my discharge?
• What follow-up appointments will I need?
• Who should I contact in an emergency?

Each hospital will have its own discharge policy. You can get information about this by asking your discharge coordinator, the ward manager or the hospital’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service (England and Wales) or Patient Advice and Support Service (Scotland). You must not be discharged from hospital until:

• a doctor says you’re well enough
• any care and support you need to be discharged safely has been put in place.

If care is being provided for you when you leave hospital, make sure you know who will provide it and how you can contact them. Ask the person or team in charge of your discharge if you’re unsure of anything.

If you think you’re being discharged before you’re well enough to go home, or you have any other concerns about your discharge, call our Helpline on 0800 319 6789 to arrange to speak to an adviser.

You might be entitled to some free short-term care to help you recover when you leave hospital. The type of support given will depend on your health and care needs. You could be offered:

• rehabilitation – such as physiotherapy to improve your mobility or speech therapy to help you communicate or swallow
• intermediate care or reablement – an intensive care programme to help you regain and maintain independence and to help prevent future hospital stays. It's provided free of charge for up to six weeks. You may be charged if you need the service for longer than this
• ongoing care at home from community nursing staff, such as district nurses.

You may need equipment or home adaptations – for example, a hoist or grab rails. If you’re assessed as needing equipment or adaptations that cost £1,000 or less, your local council must provide them free of charge, regardless of your finances.

Long-term support after a hospital stay could include care services at home or in a care home.

If it seems you’ll need ongoing care after a hospital stay, the hospital must notify your local council. Before the hospital staff let the council know, they must consult you and any carers you have. They must also have an assessment for whether you should get NHS Continuing Healthcare, and share their decision with the council.

The council’s adult social services team will carry out a care needs assessment, and they should inform the hospital:

• if you need care and support
• if you’re eligible for support from the council
• how the council plans to meet your needs.

The care needs assessment may need to be done before you can safely leave hospital. You may qualify for some funding from your council or you may need to pay for all your care yourself. For more information, see our factsheet First steps in getting help with your care needs.

Long-term care may also be fully funded by the NHS through NHS Continuing Healthcare. This is for people with a high level of health and care needs. If this seems appropriate for you, you’ll be given an assessment to work out whether you qualify. You can also ask for one before you leave hospital. The assessment is separate from the care needs assessment and it could take place in hospital but may happen later, when your ongoing needs should be clearer.

If you do qualify, the NHS will pay for all the care you’re assessed as needing. NHS Continuing Healthcare isn’t means-tested, so anyone who may need it can apply, regardless of their finances.

You mustn’t be discharged from hospital until the support you need to be safe has been put in place.

Before you leave hospital, make sure any care or support you’ll need has been put in place, and that you know who to contact about these arrangements. If you’ve been given any new equipment or aids to help you live independently, check that you know how to use these. Before you’re discharged, make sure you know the following information:

• what medication you’ll need to take (and how often, for example)
• any follow-up appointments you may need
• who to contact in an emergency.

Make sure your transport home has been arranged, whether this is a lift from someone you know, a taxi or hospital patient transport. If you’re on a low income, you may be able to get help with travel costs. See our webpage Help with health costs for more information.

Check that you have your personal belongings with you, including any valuables you placed in a hospital safe. If you left your door key with a friend or neighbour, make sure they will be available to let you in.

Some charities and other local organisations offer Home from Hospital services. This might involve someone visiting you at home for a short time after you’re discharged, to help with tasks such as shopping, collecting pensions or picking up prescriptions. Visit Age UK, the British Red Cross or Royal Voluntary Service to see if they run these services in your area.