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Too many people who were medically ready to be discharged from hospital experienced delays in leaving hospital; we asked what should always happen for every person in hospital who is ready for discharge to be able to go home earlier in the day. Amongst the 132 ideas and experiences that were shared, people said a common cause for delays in leaving hospital was waiting for medicines to take home. An action area that emerged from the challenges was volunteers supporting hospital discharge by taking medicines to a person’s home if the medicines are not ready before the person leaves hospital.

Solving Together is pleased to share news about a service happening in Barnsley Hospital, where they have successfully launched a ‘Pick up and Deliver’ service. It will support individuals being discharged from hospital by transporting medication to their homes. This enables them to return home earlier, rather than waiting in hospital for their prescriptions to be ready. Discharge staff feel that it both improves patient flow by getting patients home quicker but also saves bed days by reducing the number of patients still waiting on-ward past 5pm.

Graham is a Pick Up and Deliver Volunteer at Barnsley Hospital – in this short video he explains how the process works.

Jacqueline Howarth, Operational Manager of RightCare Barnsley said: “We have found the Pick Up and Deliver service to be incredibly helpful.... The service is available seven days a week and is highly responsive, which is fantastic”. Read more in the full article in the Integrated Care Journal.

Volunteers benefit, too – Graham has shared his experience on the NHS Care Volunteer Responders website, saying “The most rewarding part is witnessing the gratitude on the faces of patients and staff...it’s as though I’m delivering a present. Being a volunteer responder is a satisfying and rewarding way to give back to others.”

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Hospital Discharge challenges on Solving Together; you can read the ideas and experiences here.

We’re preparing new sprints on Solving Together and look forward to sharing more information with you soon.

This post was edited on May 15, 2024 by Leigh Kendall