Hospital Discharge Support in Barking

Yes, and it is often the more useful order. Checking access, bed, bathroom and seating while somebody is still in hospital leaves time to move furniture, clear routes and fill any obvious gaps before they arrive, instead of discovering them on the first evening. Discharge dates can move at short notice, so it is worth saying so when arranging anything.

Not usually, because the two look at different things. A hospital assessment is largely about whether somebody is safe to leave, sometimes including a brief visit to the property beforehand. A visit after they get home looks at how it is genuinely going once the ward is no longer doing half the work. That said, if NHS follow-up has been arranged and is working well, you may not need anything further.

Yes, and it is one of the more common reasons for a visit. Equipment issued on discharge is chosen against an assumption about the home rather than a sight of it, so the height, the position or even the room it ended up in can be wrong even when the item itself is the right one. Going through what arrived, where it should sit and how it is meant to be used is straightforward and often makes a noticeable difference.

No. A private occupational therapist has no part in a hospital's discharge decision and cannot delay one. What you can do is raise your concerns with the ward or the discharge team directly and ask for the discharge plan to be reviewed, saying specifically what at home you believe is not ready. A written home-readiness assessment can be handed to them as evidence, but the decision itself stays with the hospital.

A qualified, HCPC-registered occupational therapist covering Barking carries out the assessment and any follow-up visits in person, at your home.

Your occupational therapist confirms their fee for Hospital Discharge Support before you book - see our prices page for current guide pricing.

Where relevant, you'll receive a written summary or report of the visit, agreed with you at the outset - particularly for equipment recommendations, adaptations or reports for a third party.

Your occupational therapist will agree next steps with you directly - this might be a follow-up visit, a set of recommendations to action yourself, or referral on if something falls outside their scope.