Introducing the Hospital Discharge Service
Unfortunately, there are children and young people (CYP) admitted to hospital due to risky behaviours that do not have a formal diagnosis or means to access support to safely transition back home or to care. As a result, these CYP remained in hospital for extended periods of time without specialist support to address the underlying needs related to their behaviours of concern.
To meet this need, Positive Support Group’s Hospital Discharge Service (HDS) was developed as a new service designed to support the discharge of CYP from emergency departments and acute hospital settings. The service has been commissioned as a ‘test and learn’ for 12 months with the aim to provide it as an ongoing service across Northwest London (NWL).
The HDS has been commissioned to deliver the following outcomes:
Enable better experiences in hospitals for the CYP who find themselves there.
Reduce the time vulnerable CYP spend in hospital after being assessed as fit for discharge.
Upskill the children’s placements market to build resilience, confidence, and capacity to promote sustainable placements and improvements in quality of life.
Contribute towards reduced re-presentations at Emergency Departments or acute hospital settings.
HDS supports 11 to 17-year-olds who are registered with a GP or reside within an NWL Local Authority area (Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster) who require specialist support to safely transition from hospital to accommodation.
In practice within the HDS, this will include the following aims:
Preventing the CYP’s needs from escalating while in hospital.
Conducting Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) assessments and delivering PBS interventions to the CYP in hospital and their identified placement, supporting a smooth transition for the CYP and those around them
Understanding the ecology of the hospital and placement environments.
Facilitating service-wide PBS across settings.
Promoting practice leadership and upskilling placement provider staff and management via an agreed bespoke training package.
Supporting the transition of the CYP back to their family home or to their onward social care placement.
Developing a peer support network in a Community of Practice or Provider forum with commissioners.
Often, these CYP fall through the cracks or do not have the support needed to secure a safe and stable transition out of hospital. PSG are excited to be able to offer this new service.
