Patient information
Preparing to leave hospital
Your care doesn’t have to end once you have been discharged from hospital. You can get in touch with one of these local organisations who can provide you and your carers with community support whilst you recover at home. If you would like to find out more about the services on offer, please ask one of our ward staff who will be able to assist you further.
Herts Help
Hospital and Community Navigation Service
Hospital and Community Navigation Service provides free, independent services available to everyone who lives in Hertfordshire. They will support you if you have recently been discharged from hospital, have been unwell or if you need help to manage your health and wellbeing.
They can:
- Provide emergency food and short-term support with shopping
- Provide wellbeing checks and visits in your home
- Collect and deliver prescription medication
- Establish links to local community-based support
- Help you to arrange safety equipment such as pendant alarms and fire safety checks
Contact Herts Help on 0300 123 4044 or visit the website www.hertshelp.net or ask a member of staff for more details
Age UK Hertfordshire
Age UK Hertfordshire is an independent charitable organisation. They can offer help and services for over 50s in Hertfordshire, who have had a stay in hospital or been unwell and need support to manage at home and regain their independence.
Age UK supports people with:
- Winter welfare checks to help with the cost-of-living impact
- Help in the home service, designed to help you, or your loved one, remain independent within the home.
- Practical tasks to prevent falls and maintain safety by:
- Sweeping leaves from pathways and outdoor spaces around the home
- Assessing for any trip hazards inside the property
- Providing advice on security, window and door locks and key safes
Visit the website to find out more: www.ageuk.org.uk/hertfordshire or ask a member of staff for more details.
Caring for Carers
The trust recognises the vital role carers play in ensuring the health and wellbeing of those they care for. We work in partnership with carers when planning patient care, treatment and discharge because we recognise that you know your loved one best.
Caring for Carers provides:
- Advice and support for carers who are using any of our hospital services (this includes A&E, inpatients, outpatients, or virtual hospital services).
- Involving you as a carer in the patient’s treatment, care and the discharge process
- Information about a carers assessment and how this can help you as a carer.
- Signposting to community support services available to you as a carer.
- Support with registering as a carer with your GP.
For more information please email westherts.caringforcarers@nhs.net or call 07977 069 888 (Monday to Friday 8am - 4pm)
Following discharge if you need further community support being a carer please contact Carers in Hertfordshire 01992 586969.
*A carer is anyone, including children and adults who looks after a family member, partner or friend who needs help because of their illness, frailty, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction and cannot cope without their support. The care they give is unpaid.
British Red Cross at Watford General Hospital
British Red Cross provides assisted discharge service support to the trust, to help vulnerable or elderly patients who are medically fit to leave hospital, but who may not have friends or family close by to help when they arrive home.
We provide the following services in partnership with the British Red Cross to facilitate your discharge:
- Transporting patients from hospital (need to be able to transfer from wheelchair to car)
- Delivery of hospital prescriptions
- Collection and delivery of mobility aids to wards
- Wellbeing and welfare check following discharge
- Transporting patients to essential healthcare appointments to prevent admission/re-admission to hospital
For more information please contact watfordwintervs@redcross.org.uk or ask a member of staff for more details
