Decisions affecting discharge from hospitals directly to care homes

Abstract

Admission to care homes following acute hospital admission is common, despite being contrary to UK health policy. Care home admission from hospital is also a care trajectory that is under-researched and poorly understood. A retrospective cohort study reviewed the case notes of 100 people who had experienced this transition, what happened during their hospital stay, and what led to the life changing decision to discharge them to a care home. Only 37% of individuals were documented as having been involved in the decision-making process. This article describes the study methods, highlights some salient results, and makes recommendations for practice.