{"id":8001,"date":"2026-10-12T22:04:38","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T22:04:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visiting-angels.co.uk\/cheshire-east\/?p=8001"},"modified":"2026-10-12T22:15:57","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T22:15:57","slug":"same-week-care-starts-discharge-teams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visiting-angels.co.uk\/cheshire-east\/same-week-care-starts-discharge-teams\/","title":{"rendered":"Same-week care starts: what discharge teams need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Quick summary<\/b><\/h3>

Most referrals that fail do so for the same handful of reasons: an unclear weight bearing status, no confirmed equipment date, no key access, a double-handed need identified late, or a postcode nobody checked. This note sets out what makes a referral start on time, and what to send with it.<\/span><\/p>

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Who this is for<\/b><\/h3>

Discharge coordinators, ward social workers, therapy teams, community matrons, brokerage and reablement teams working with Macclesfield District General, Leighton, Stepping Hill, Royal Stoke and the community hospitals.<\/span><\/p>

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What we need to give you a yes or a no the same day<\/b><\/h3>

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Information<\/b><\/p><\/th>

Why it decides the answer<\/b><\/p><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>

Full address and postcode<\/b><\/p><\/td>

Determines whether it sits on an existing round, which is the single biggest factor in how fast we can start<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Times of day required, and which are time-critical<\/b><\/p><\/td>

An 8am call and a 10am call are very different propositions<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

One carer or two<\/b><\/p><\/td>

Double-handed calls change availability substantially. Late identification is the commonest cause of a failed start<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Weight bearing status and transfer method<\/b><\/p><\/td>

Determines equipment, staffing and whether the plan is safe at all<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Equipment ordered, and the delivery date<\/b><\/p><\/td>

A bed or hoist arriving after the patient is the classic failure<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Access arrangements<\/b><\/p><\/td>

Key safe fitted and code available, or a named keyholder<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Medicines support level required<\/b><\/p><\/td>

Prompting, assisting or administering, and whether anything is time-critical<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Funding route<\/b><\/p><\/td>

Self-funding, direct payment, council commissioned, or Fast Track CHC<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Named family contact and who holds authority<\/b><\/p><\/td>

Including whether a registered health and welfare LPA is in place<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Discharge summary and medication list<\/b><\/p><\/td>

Particularly where medicines changed during admission<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

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Send the postcode and the required times first. We can usually answer the availability question from those two alone, which saves everyone a day.<\/span><\/p>

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The five things that make a start date more difficult<\/b><\/h3>

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  1. Double-handed care identified on the day.<\/b> A package built for one carer cannot absorb a second at short notice. If there is any prospect of two, flag it at referral.<\/span><\/li>
  2. No access.<\/b> A key safe that has not been fitted, or a code nobody has. This stops a first visit dead and is entirely preventable.<\/span><\/li>
  3. Equipment lagging the discharge.<\/b> Care cannot be delivered safely around a bed that arrives on Thursday for a Tuesday discharge.<\/span><\/li>
  4. Unclear or contradictory weight bearing and transfer information.<\/b> Where the discharge summary and the therapy notes disagree, we have to stop and check, and that costs a day.<\/span><\/li>
  5. Funding not settled.<\/b> Particularly where a family expects the council to pay and no assessment has happened, or where Fast Track has been mentioned but not submitted.<\/span><\/li><\/ol>

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    Capacity, honestly<\/b><\/h3>

    Capacity changes week to week and by time of day, so any published statement about it would be out of date before you read it.<\/span><\/p>

    What is stable is the pattern. Early morning calls and double-handed calls are the tightest. Mid-morning, lunchtime and afternoon calls are usually easier. Rural addresses depend on whether an existing round passes nearby.<\/span><\/p>

    Ring us on 01625 720157 and we will tell you what we can actually do that week.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>

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    What we can and cannot take on<\/b><\/h3>

    Setting this out plainly saves inappropriate referrals.<\/span><\/p>