Hospital Discharge Care in Crawley

If your relative is being discharged from hospital in Crawley and you need home care arranged quickly, you are not alone — and you do not have as long to act as you might hope. Hospitals in this area operate under significant pressure to free up beds, and families are sometimes given just 24 to 48 hours' notice that their loved one is ready to leave ^[8]. That can feel overwhelming, particularly if your relative's needs have changed significantly during their stay.

Hospital discharge care — sometimes called step-down care or post-discharge care — means arranging a care worker to visit your relative at home, helping them manage daily tasks they can no longer do safely on their own. This might include help getting washed and dressed, preparing meals, managing medication prompts, or support with mobility. The aim is to enable your relative to leave hospital safely, recover at home, and avoid an unnecessary readmission.

In Crawley, home care agencies are regulated by the Care Quality Commission ^[4]. There are around 54 CQC-registered agencies operating in this area, covering everything from short daily visits to multiple calls a day. CareAH is a marketplace that connects families to these registered agencies — it does not deliver care itself, but it allows you to compare options and make contact quickly.

The most useful thing you can do right now is start the process as soon as discharge looks likely — not after the hospital calls to say your relative is leaving tomorrow. This page covers the local discharge pathway, what to look for in an agency, how care might be funded, and the practical questions worth asking before you commit.

Crawley is served primarily by two hospitals. East Surrey Hospital in Redhill is the main acute site for the area, handling emergency admissions, surgery, and specialist care for many Crawley residents. Crawley Hospital provides outpatient, rehabilitation, and some community-based inpatient services. Both sit within the Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (SASH), which oversees discharge planning across the area.

Discharge planning typically begins early in a hospital admission, and in SASH hospitals a team including ward nurses, occupational therapists, and social workers will assess what support your relative needs when they leave. The NHS uses a structured framework for this, known as Discharge to Assess (D2A) ^[8]. Rather than completing a full care assessment before discharge, the aim is to get the patient home first — into a safe environment — and then assess their ongoing needs more accurately once they are settled.

Within this framework, four pathways are used to describe the level of support required. Pathway 0 means the person can go home without additional support. Pathway 1 means they need some community support, such as home care visits. Pathway 2 means they need a short period of intensive support, often in a care home or through a reablement package. Pathway 3 means they need full nursing or residential care. Most families seeking home care are looking at Pathway 1.

For patients with complex or long-term health needs, the NHS may fund their care entirely through NHS Continuing Healthcare (NHS CHC), a fully funded package assessed against a national framework ^[2][3]. If your relative's needs are primarily health-related — rather than social care needs — it is worth raising CHC with the discharge team before your relative leaves hospital.

Crawley Borough Council is the local authority responsible for social care assessments in this area. Under the Care Act 2014, anyone who appears to have care needs is entitled to a formal assessment, regardless of their financial situation ^[5].

Not all home care agencies will be equally prepared to take on a hospital discharge placement at short notice. Below are practical things to look for and ask.

CQC registration — a legal requirement Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 ^[6], it is a criminal offence for any provider to deliver regulated personal care in England without being registered with the Care Quality Commission ^[4]. This includes help with washing, dressing, and medication. Registration is not optional. An unregistered agency is operating illegally. Every agency listed on CareAH is CQC-registered. If you are looking elsewhere, verify registration directly on the CQC website before proceeding.

Practical signals to look for:

• The agency confirms they can start within 24–72 hours, and is clear about what happens if a carer is unavailable
• They have experience supporting people recovering from the specific condition your relative is being discharged with
• They are willing to liaise directly with the hospital discharge team or community nursing team
• Their CQC inspection report is recent and does not raise concerns about staffing, reliability, or medication management — check this yourself at cqc.org.uk ^[4]
• They can provide a written care plan before the first visit, not just a verbal outline
• They clearly explain how care calls are recorded and how families are kept informed
• Their carers are employed and insured — not self-employed individuals working informally

Questions about capacity and continuity matter. Short-notice discharge placements can sometimes be taken on and then covered by multiple different carers in the first week. Ask how they handle continuity and what their cancellation process is if a carer is unwell.

There are several possible ways hospital discharge care in Crawley might be funded, depending on your relative's circumstances.

Local authority funding Crawley Borough Council has a duty under the Care Act 2014 ^[5] to carry out a needs assessment for anyone who appears to need care and support. If your relative qualifies for funded support, their contribution will depend on a financial assessment. Currently, people with savings and assets above £23,250 are expected to fund their own care in full. Those with assets between £14,250 and £23,250 contribute on a sliding scale. Those below £14,250 are not expected to contribute from capital ^[1]. To request an assessment, search 'Crawley Borough Council adult social care' for current contact details and opening hours.

NHS Continuing Healthcare If your relative's needs are primarily health-based, they may be eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare — a fully funded package paid for by the NHS, not the local authority ^[2][3]. A checklist screening can take place in hospital before discharge. For independent advice on eligibility, the charity Beacon offers free guidance ^[10].

Direct Payments If your relative qualifies for council-funded care, they may be able to receive a Direct Payment instead — money paid directly so they can arrange their own care ^[9]. This gives more flexibility over which agency to use and when.

Self-funding Many families in Crawley manage initial discharge care costs themselves, particularly in the first days, while a formal assessment is pending.