Patients go home early in hospital trial

Rose Kitson returned home after just four days

A scheme that enables patients to go home from hospital early after surgery is being tried out in Birmingham.

The trial, which is being carried out at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, aims to save money, free up hospital beds, and improve recovery rates.

The scheme, which is optional, is open only to patients who are fit and live reasonably near the hospital.

Another condition for patients wishing to take part in the scheme is that they have a carer at home.

Hospitals can be places to pick up infections and so patients have a reduced rate of infection by getting home that little bit earlier

Jane Ives
Director of Nursing

About 30% of people who have had surgery meet the criteria for leaving the hospital early.

Jane Ives, director of nursing at the Royal Orthopaedic, said there are medical, as well as financial, reasons to encourage patients to recover at home.

"Hospitals can be places to pick up infections and so obviously they have a reduced rate of infection by getting home that little bit earlier," she said.

Roger Goss, from campaign group Patient Concern, which aims to encourage patients' independence, said the scheme could not be guaranteed to be uniformly successful.

Early homecoming

"Obviously it's a gamble that everybody will pick up a system like this and do it as well as the originators," he said.

"Depending on the hospital there may be different priorities, different pressures."

Rose Kitson, who underwent knee surgery which would usually have required her to spend 10 days in hospital, returned home after only four days.

"I think it's great and I think it helps you more when you're at home to heal up. You get moving more", she said.