Luton and Dunstable University Hospital coordinates discharge planning through an integrated discharge hub. Hospital discharge staff, social workers, community health teams and commissioners work together in one place, supported by discharge officers on each ward.
- Discharge plans are usually discussed and coordinated more quickly.
- Once a plan is agreed, the process can move at pace.
This guide explains the discharge journey in the order families are likely to experience it: how the hub works, what happens on the day of discharge, the role of the discharge lounge, the options available after discharge, where A Class Care can help, and how quickly care can usually begin. In Luton, understanding the discharge structure matters because the system is designed to move quickly once decisions are made.
The Integrated Discharge Hub: One Room, Every Team
The integrated discharge hub at Luton and Dunstable Hospital brings hospital discharge staff, social workers, community health teams and commissioning teams into a single office. Each ward also has a discharge officer, so discharge planning can happen collaboratively rather than being passed from one organisation to another. The. team also uses a dedicated discharge app and tracking tools to monitor lengths of stay and speed up the process.
The L&D developed this approach over several years and moved the teams into the hub in 2017. The model was later recognised nationally as an example for other hospitals. Its day-to-day operation is practical: ward-based discharge officers, supervisors in each directorate, a live tracking system showing each patient’s length of stay and next responsible organisation, and regular multidisciplinary meetings for cases that need input from more than one service.
The community side of the hub is the Luton GP Liaison and Integrated Discharge Team, run by Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust and based at the hospital. The discharge team works seven days a week, from 9am to 5pm, on 01582 491166.
The team supports complex discharges, assesses and prescribes equipment, facilitates funding, refers people into community services, and advises patients, carers and ward staff on support available after discharge. Its two guiding principles are Home First and Discharge to Assess: the person returns home as soon as it is safe, and longer-term needs are assessed there.
For families, the hub’s main benefit is that different organisations work together rather than in sequence. Its limitation is that it focuses on the NHS and council arrangements for discharge. Families arranging private care should contact their chosen provider directly rather than waiting for the hub to raise it. The earlier that happens, the more easily the provider can work within the hospital’s timetable.
The Day Itself: The Discharge Lounge
A move to the L&D’s discharge lounge means the person has left the ward bed. It does not always mean they have been fully discharged or are ready to leave the hospital. Before travelling in, families should check whether discharge has been completed or whether the person is still waiting for final arrangements.
The discharge lounge allows people who are medically ready to leave the ward to wait safely while final steps are completed, such as medication, paperwork, transport or collection.
The question to put to the ward is a precise one: has my relative actually been discharged from the hospital or have they been moved to the discharge lounge whilst something is still outstanding? The distinction matters most where a carer is due at the house. What is usually outstanding is medication to take home, the discharge letter, or transport and the realistic expected arrival time comes from whoever is coordinating the collection in the lounge, not from the estimate the ward have that morning.
The trust’s non-urgent patient transport line, 0345 605 1208, covers inpatient discharges for people whose medical condition, mobility or treatment prevents them travelling any other way.
Luton’s Options After Discharge
For a Luton resident leaving the L&D, the council offers free reablement at home for up to six weeks, a fully equipped step-down flat with 24-hour assistance for up to six weeks at no cost for people who are not ready to go home, and health-funded beds free for up to four weeks where ongoing medical support is needed. Together, these options mean that going straight home or moving into a care home are not the only possible discharge routes.
Reablement at home is short-term support to regain independence: washing and dressing, moving around the house, preparing meals, with tasks broken into manageable steps and staff working alongside the person rather than doing things for them. It is free for up to six weeks, although the period of support depends on the person's needs and progress.
The step-down flat is the option families may be least likely to have heard of. It is temporary, fully equipped accommodation, with 24-hour assistance available, for someone who is medically ready to leave hospital but cannot yet manage in their own home. Support can last up to six weeks and there is no charge. Its purpose is to give the person time to recover, regain independence and be assessed properly before longer-term arrangements are decided. It sits between going straight home and moving into a care home.
Health-funded beds, free for up to four weeks, are for people who still need ongoing medical or healthcare support after leaving the acute hospital setting. Short-stay care home placements are also available where appropriate, but these are chargeable following a financial assessment. Longer-term home care can be arranged following assessment where an ongoing care need is identified.
Dunstable, Houghton Regis and Leighton Buzzard are in Central Bedfordshire, not Luton, so residents of those towns come under Central Bedfordshire's hospital discharge social work team and its own reablement arrangements rather than Luton's, because the relevant council is determined by the person's home address rather than the hospital they are discharged from.
On either side of that boundary, any charge after a free period depends on the relevant council's financial assessment and the type and level of support required. A Class Care is an approved provider operating across Luton and Central Bedfordshire, so where the council commissions home care following reablement, a package may be delivered by an approved provider such as A Class Care.
Care After Luton and Dunstable Hospital Discharge: Where A Class Care Fits
A family arranging private care from the L&D can contact A Class Care directly rather than waiting for a referral through the hospital discharge process. The hospital and council teams coordinate the statuary arrangements; private care can be explored alongside that process. Starting the assessment while the person is still in hospital can also give the family more time to organise care before discharge.
The first step is for a Service Manager to attend the hospital and complete an assessment in person, rather than building a care plan solely over the telephone. With the person’s consent, the Service Manager can then liaise with the professionals involved in the discharge process and obtain the relevant discharge information, so that the proposed care plan reflects the hospital’s assessment and discharge arrangements. This gives A Class Care a direct link with the wider team involved, making the transition as smooth as can be.
For a complex case, several areas need to be understood before a package can be put in place: moving and handling, any equipment required, medication, cognition, skin integrity, nutrition, continence and risks at night. These areas help determine whether the proposed package is suitable and whether any additional equipment, clinical input or support is needed before the person returns home.
From there, there are two possible routes. A family can arrange care privately from the first day, including live-in care or overnight support where someone needs a higher level of assistance. A clear picture of the cost of live-in care in Bedfordshire is set out in our cost guide. Alternatively, where the person goes through council-funded reablement and is subsequently assessed as needing ongoing care, the council may commission a home-care package from an approved provider, such as A Class Care.
How Quickly Care Starts
From the L&D Hospital, care normally starts within 24 hours to 3 days of the person being clinically fit, subject to the complexity of the package and the availability of suitable carers. The Hub identifies complex cases early, but that does not mean every private referral arrives days in advance; some do, and some arrive when the person is already fit, and care is the last item outstanding. Where the referral comes early, the time before the discharge date is used to complete the assessment, prepare the care plan and identify the carers, so that the date the Hub sets is the start of care rather than the start of arranging it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the integrated discharge hub?
The office at Luton and Dunstable Hospital where hospital discharge staff, social care and community health teams plan discharges together, with a discharge officer on each ward. The community discharge team within it is available on 01582 491166 or dischargemanagers@ldh.nhs.uk.
Has my relative been discharged or moved to the discharge lounge?
You should ask the ward because a move to the lounge means the ward bed has been released, not that the person is on their way home. Medication, the discharge letter or transport may still be outstanding.
What if my relative is not ready to go home but no longer needs a hospital bed?
For Luton residents, a step-down flat with 24 hour assistance for up to six weeks at no cost, or a health-funded bed for up to four weeks where ongoing medical support is needed.
Does the hospital arrange our care if we are a self-funding family?
No. The trust’s own guidance for carers states that self-funding families source their own permanent care and the hospital sources council-funded packages only.
Who do we contact about the discharge itself?
You can get in touch with Luton and Dunstable Hospital PALS on 01582 497990 or pals@ldh.nhs.uk.
Arranging Care for Someone Leaving the Luton and Dunstable Hospital
A Class Care provides home care and live-in care for people leaving Luton and Dunstable Hospital across Luton, Dunstable, Houghton Regis, Leighton Buzzard and surrounding areas. For families who need someone in the house from the first night, before any funded package has been agreed, emergency care at home can begin on the day of discharge. Call 01223 864066 or email referrals@aclasscare.co.uk and a member of our team will be able to help you with any queries you may have.
