Adult Social Work: BASW England Hospital Discharge sub-group initial statement and survey

An important hospital discharge guidance document was published in March 2020 which  made it possible for health and care systems to immediately introduce the discharge to assess model to support hospital discharges.

More recently new information has been published  (Hospital discharge service: policy and operating model), and the Government has backed health and social care partners with additional funding to maintain the discharge to assess approach until the end of the financial year.

The implementation of the Discharge to Assess model as described in the policy document has implications for the social work role in hospitals and in supporting people to be discharged from hospital.

The Hospital discharge sub-group part of BASW England's thematic adult social work group,  is currently looking at the new gudinace to explore and understand the impact  for social work.

In the short term the sub-group will focus on developing a statement for social workers to support them in their role drawing out the elements in the discharge process where social work can make a difference that will include the voice of lived experience. 

Alongside this, the sub- group are also working on a more detailed response, to analyse and identify the essential points to inform BASW England's policy response.

We want to hear about your experience of hospital discharges from a social work perspective. 

Please feedback your experiences by completing the short Hospital discharge during covid-19 survey about your role as a social worker in hospital, and how this has changed since the start of the pandemic.

If you would like to find out more about this work then please contact liz.howard@basw.co.uk