"Delayed referrals"

A family member has been an inpatient twice in Wonthaggi Hospital in recent months and has come in after losing the use of one side of them.  Both times that my family member has come in, they have been admitted to the ward and a discharge date set.  As the date approached it has become apparent to us that no steps have been taken for effective discharge planning.

When a person comes in from home with functional loss resulting in not being able to walk or toilet without support, I believe OT and physio referrals should be triggered within the first 24-48 hours.  In both of these admissions, referrals have not been completed until I have sent next of kin in to ask about pieces of equipment.  Referrals were then completed on the day that was originally planned for discharge.  In the first instance this resulted in my family member deciding to go home anyway without any support. In this instance it is delaying discharge. I believe that further education on referral pathways and timing of referrals is required for staff on the medical and surgical wards. In general though the family member is happy with the quality of their care.