Hospital Discharge Care in Nottingham

If someone you care about is being discharged from Queen's Medical Centre or Nottingham City Hospital and you need home care arranged quickly, you are not alone. Discharge timelines can be tight — sometimes 24 to 72 hours — and organising support at home while managing the emotional weight of a hospital stay is genuinely difficult. This page is here to help you understand what hospital discharge care looks like in Nottingham, how the local system works, and what steps to take now.

Hospital discharge care is home care that begins immediately after a person leaves hospital. It might be as simple as help with washing, dressing, and meals in the first few days of recovery. It might involve more complex support if your relative has had a stroke, a fall and fracture, or a major operation. The goal is to allow safe recovery at home rather than a prolonged hospital stay or a move into a care home.

In Nottingham, care is coordinated between Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust — which runs both Queen's Medical Centre and Nottingham City Hospital — and Nottingham City Council's adult social care team. Depending on your relative's needs and circumstances, some of that care may be funded by the NHS or local authority, at least in the short term. Other families will self-fund, either in full or in part.

CareAH connects families to CQC-registered home care agencies in Nottingham who can respond quickly. Understanding your options first means you can make faster, more confident decisions when the hospital calls.

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust operates two major sites — Queen's Medical Centre (QMC) in Lenton and Nottingham City Hospital in Sherwood — between them covering a wide range of acute specialities including trauma and orthopaedics, stroke, cardiac care, and oncology. Both sites discharge patients into the Nottingham city area and surrounding parts of Nottinghamshire.

When a patient is approaching discharge, the hospital's discharge team will consider which pathway is appropriate under the national Discharge to Assess (D2A) framework ^[8]. The pathways are:

• Pathway 0 — the person can return home safely with little or no additional support.
• Pathway 1 — the person returns home with some community health or social care input, often arranged by the NHS or local authority for a short period.
• Pathway 2 — the person requires a period of recovery in a community or step-down setting before going home.
• Pathway 3 — the person's needs are complex enough to require a care home placement.

Most families reading this page are dealing with Pathway 1, where their relative is being discharged home but needs a care package in place before leaving — or very shortly after arriving home.

Under the D2A model, the NHS may fund a short period of reablement or interim home care to allow a full needs assessment to take place at home rather than in hospital. This is sometimes called Early Supported Discharge (ESD), particularly after stroke. It does not mean ongoing care will be free — it is a bridge period ^[8].

If the hospital identifies that your relative may be eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC), a formal checklist screening should be completed before discharge. This determines whether the NHS, rather than the council or the family, funds ongoing care ^[2][3].

For care that falls outside NHS funding, Nottingham City Council is responsible for arranging or funding social care support for eligible Nottingham residents under the Care Act 2014 ^[5].

Not every agency is equipped to respond to an urgent hospital discharge. When you are assessing agencies quickly, these are the practical signals that matter.

Legal registration — a non-negotiable starting point

Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 ^[6], any provider delivering regulated personal care in England — help with washing, dressing, toileting, medication — must be registered with the Care Quality Commission. Operating without registration is a criminal offence ^[4]. Every agency listed on CareAH is CQC-registered. If you are approached by an agency that cannot show CQC registration, do not use them.

You can verify any agency's registration status and view their inspection ratings on the CQC website ^[4].

What else to look for:

• Can they confirm a start date within 24 to 72 hours of your call?
• Do they have experience supporting people recovering from the specific condition your relative is recovering from?
• Can they provide care at the times your relative actually needs it — including mornings, evenings, or overnight if necessary?
• Will the same carers visit consistently, or will your relative see a different face each day?
• Are they familiar with working alongside the NHS discharge team and community nursing?
• What is their process if a carer cannot attend a visit?
• Can they provide a written care plan before care begins, or very shortly after?
• Do they carry out a home assessment before the first visit?

CQC inspection reports are public. Reading a recent report for any agency you are considering takes ten minutes and gives you an independent view of how they perform.

Funding for home care after hospital discharge in Nottingham can come from several places, and it is worth understanding each one before you commit to paying privately.

NHS-funded interim care After discharge under the Discharge to Assess model, the NHS may fund a short period of home care — typically up to six weeks — while a full assessment takes place. This is not guaranteed and varies by individual circumstances.

NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) If your relative has a primary health need, they may be entitled to fully funded ongoing care through NHS CHC ^[2][3]. A checklist screening should happen before discharge if needs are complex. If eligibility is uncertain, independent advice is available from Beacon, a free helpline for families ^[10].

Care Act 2014 needs assessment If your relative is not CHC-eligible and needs ongoing social care, Nottingham City Council may contribute to costs following a formal needs assessment ^[5]. To request one, search 'Nottingham City Council adult social care' for current contact details and opening hours.

Self-funding thresholds If your relative has capital above £23,250, the council will not fund their care. Between £14,250 and £23,250 there is a sliding contribution. Below £14,250, capital is disregarded in the financial assessment ^[1].

Direct Payments Rather than the council arranging care directly, your relative may be able to receive Direct Payments to purchase their own care ^[9]. This gives more control over which agency is used.