Charity transport service helps patients home from QA Hospital

The British Red Cross took 125 people home from QA between January and March thanks to a short-term service aimed at easing pressure during the busy winter months.

The Red Cross Assisted Discharge service, which was funded by NHS England, offered support to people who needed help to get home after a hospital stay. The aim of the service was to provide a smooth transition for the patient while also supporting medical staff by freeing up beds and other hospital resources.

A target of transporting 87 patients was set, a figure the charity exceeded. Debbie Hayter, service manager for independent living at the Red Cross, said: ‘Our support workers worked really closely with the hospital staff to identify discharged patients who needed help.

‘As well as providing transport, the support workers made sure they were comfortable and had everything they needed close at hand.

‘These small, low cost, non-clinical interventions can often make the difference between someone being able to stay at home and having to go back into hospital.’

Paul Bytheway, chief operating officer at QA Hospital in Cosham, said the service was a good example of different agencies working together to help patients.