Who the hospital serves
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital ( QEH) in King’s Lynn serves patients from more than one local authority area. People may return home to addresses in Norfolk or Cambridgeshire, and discharge arrangements and ongoing support will usually depend on where the person normally lives, rather than the hospital they are discharged from.
What this guide covers
This guide explains the discharge process from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, including:
- Which local authority and teams are involved
- What is considered during discharge planning
- Hospital arrangements on the day of discharge
- Use of the virtual ward, where this forms part of the person’s care
- The first few weeks at home for people returning to Norfolk or Cambridgeshire
- How quickly care may be arranged once discharge from Kings Lynn has been confirmed
Postcode Dependent Care Management
Social care after a QEH discharge is arranged by the council for the area where the person lives: Norfolk County Council for people from West and North Norfolk, and Cambridgeshire County Council’s North Transfer of Care Team for people from Wisbech, March and the fens. Being treated in a Norfolk hospital does not bring a Cambridgeshire resident under Norfolk’s system.
For Norfolk residents, the QEH works as part of the Norfolk and Waveney integrated health and care board, so its own discharge teams sit alongside community health services and Norfolk adult social care, and the same people are involved from the ward through to the first few weeks at home. For Cambridgeshire residents, the North transfer of care team covers Cambridgeshire people receiving treatment at the QEH and it is that team, rather than a Norfolk social worker, that assesses needs and arranges any council-funded support.
The distinction matters in practice because almost everything downstream follows from it: the reablement service that is offered, the social worker who holds the case, the route through which any funded care is agreed, and the phone number a family rings when something is stuck.
We are an approved care provider in both Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, so whichever authority is arranging the package, it can still be provided by the same team here at A Class Care.
What is Decided Before a Discharge Date is Confirmed
Before a discharge date is confirmed, a number of hospital and community services may already be involved in planning the person’s return home. At the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, this can include multidisciplinary and complex discharge processes for people whose needs after discharge require more than routine arrangements.
Discharge planning may involve several separate elements including:
- medical readiness
- therapy and nursing needs
- community health services
- equipment
- social care
- reablement
- care at home
- transport
- the support available from family or other informal carers
Responsibility for these arrangements may sit with different hospital, local authority and community services depending on the person’s needs and where they will be returning home to.
Families can contact us before a discharge date has been confirmed if it appears that care at home is likely to be required. This can allow an initial assessment and care planning to begin whilst the hospital continues its own discharge arrangements.
Where appropriate, one of our service managers can assess the person at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital before discharge and liaise with the hospital team about the proposed care arrangements. With the person’s consent, we can also use available discharge and care information to support planning.
Where an assessment of the home is required, this may be arranged whilst the person remains in hospital, with access provided by the next of kin or another nominated person. The assessment can consider practical matters such as access to the property, available space and whether recommended equipment can be used safely in the home.
Completing these assessments before discharge can help identify practical issues in advance and allow the proposed care arrangements to take account of the person’s needs and home environment.
Home4Lunch and The Discharge Lounge
The QEH Discharge Lounge is on the ground floor, opposite the Macmillan Unit. It is where patients may wait once they are ready to leave hospital but are still waiting for medication, transport or collection. The Discharge Lounge can be contacted on 01553 613640.
The lounge forms part of the hospital’s Home4Lunch approach, which aims to discharge suitable patients before midday where possible.
What families can do to help avoid delays
- Confirm the expected discharge date with the ward nurse rather than assuming it.
- Arrange transport so the person can be collected by noon where possible.
- Make sure house keys are available.
- Bring suitable clothing for the journey home.
- Check that there is food at home for the person’s return.
Where possible, families should make these practical arrangements by the day before discharge to help prevent delays.
QEH can arrange non-emergency patient transport for people who meet the eligibility criteria. This service is intended for patients whose medical needs or mobility difficulties mean they cannot reasonably use other forms of transport.
Who may be eligible
- Patients whose medical needs require the skills or support of Patient Transport Service staff.
- Patients whose medical condition affects their mobility so significantly that alternative transport is not suitable.
- Children attending NHS appointments with a parent or guardian.
- Patients attending regular dialysis or cancer treatment.
For Norfolk and Waveney residents, non-emergency patient transport is provided by HTG-UK. Journeys can be booked by calling 0345 241 3012, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
For Cambridgeshire residents, the service is provided by EMED Group. Bookings can be made by calling 0300 777 5555. If the person has travelled with EMED before, they are also able to use the Patient Zone app to book, manage and check the status of their journey.
Virtual Ward and Home Care: Different Services That Work Together
A Virtual Ward is different from home care, although the two services can work alongside each other to help someone receive the right level of support at home. While home care focuses on practical and personal support, a Virtual Ward provides hospital-level clinical monitoring, with readings such as oxygen levels, heart rate and blood pressure sent remotely to a consultant-led clinical team.
The QEH runs an integrated step-down Virtual Ward jointly with Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust. The consultant responsible is based at the hospital, while community teams carry out remote monitoring and visit patients in person when needed. Readings are shared through a monitoring device or app, allowing both organisations to access the same clinical information.
However, the Virtual Ward does not provide the day-to-day personal and practical support that a care provider offers.
For example, it does not cover:
- Washing and dressing
- Preparing meals
- Medication prompts
- Help getting to the bathroom
- Overnight support or someone staying in the house
A person can be supported by the Virtual Ward and receive home care at the same time. In many cases, the two services work particularly well alongside one another.
Someone may be clinically suitable to continue their recovery at home under the Virtual Ward but still need practical and personal support to make daily life safe and manageable. In this situation, the Virtual Ward can monitor their clinical condition, while A Class Care can provide the everyday support they need at home.
Clear responsibilities are essential
It is important for families to understand who is responsible for each part of the person’s care, so that clinical monitoring and day-to-day support are not confused.
For example, the Virtual Ward team may carry out the daily clinical check, and the carer provides support with personal care, meals, medication prompts and other practical needs.
This clarity helps avoid unsafe assumptions. Families should not assume that a nurse or clinician checking clinical readings is also checking whether the person has eaten, taken prompted medication or received the practical help they need that day.
Used together, the Virtual Ward and A Class Care can provide a safer, more complete package of support at home, with clinical oversight from the NHS and practical care delivered day to day.
The First Weeks at Home: Support in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire
The support available during the first few weeks at home depends on which county is responsible for arranging the person’s care. Norfolk and Cambridgeshire have different reablement and discharge support services, although the purpose is similar: helping someone settle safely at home after a hospital stay.
Support for Norfolk Residents
For Norfolk residents, short-term reablement is provided through Norfolk First Support. The service is free for up to six weeks and is intended to help people regain confidence and independence after leaving hospital.
Referrals are normally made by the hospital or community team, rather than by the family directly. This should reduce the pressure on you, but it is still worth checking who has made the referral, what stage it has reached, and when support is expected to start.
Support for Cambridgeshire Residents
For Cambridgeshire residents, discharge and reablement arrangements are coordinated through the Cambridgeshire County Council.
These services are designed to help someone recover their independence but they do not necessarily provide the level of personal care needed to keep someone safe throughout the day or overnight.
For example, a family may still need additional support with personal care, supervision, overnight assistance or care during periods when the person’s needs are greater than a short-term reablement service is designed to cover.
Where A Class Care Fits In
Our role during this period depends on what the person and their family need.
A council-arranged care package can be commissioned from us in both Norfolk and Cambridgeshire. However, some families need more support than reablement is designed to provide and others want care in place before a funded package has been agreed.
In these circumstances, live-in care or overnight care can normally begin privately from the first day home. The level of support can then be reviewed and reduced as the person recovers, or as other funded services are put in place.
Care After Hospital Discharge from QEH King’s Lynn: How Quickly Can Care Start?
Following a referral from QEH, we can normally have care in place within 24 hours to three days of the person being clinically fit to leave the hospital.
The exact timescale depends on what is needed to make the package safe and ready to start. This includes completing the assessment, arranging suitable staff and ensuring that any necessary equipment is already in the home.
When Care Can Usually Start More Quickly
Someone who needs support with everyday tasks such as:
- Personal care
- Medication
- Meals
- Getting around at home
will usually sit at the faster end of the timescale.
When a Package Takes Longer to Arrange
More complex packages can take longer to put in place. For example, someone who needs two carers for every transfer, specialist equipment of more complex moving and handling arrangements requires additional planning before care can begin.
The priority is to make sure that the care provided is safe and properly organised from the first visit.
Families do not need to wait until the morning of discharge to contact us. If a family gets in touch when the ward first mentions that care may be needed, much of the planning can take place while the person is still in hospital. By the time they are declared clinically fit to leave, the 24-hour to three-day period may therefore have already been used to complete the assessment and prepare the care package. That can make the move from hospital to home considerably smoother.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Virtual Ward?
A Virtual Ward provides hospital-level clinical monitoring at home. A consultant at the QEH remains clinically responsible, whilst community teams monitor readings remotely and visit in person if needed.
It covers the clinical side of care only and does not provide personal or practical care at home.
Where is the discharge lounge at QEH?
The discharge lounge is on the ground floor, opposite the Macmillan Unit, and can be contacted on 01553 613640.
We live in Wisbech, but my loved one is at the QEH. Which council do we deal with?
You would normally deal with Cambridgeshire County Council as that is your local authority. They are responsible for arranging the person’s care.
Can we ask for A Class Care by name?
Yes. You can ask for A Class Care by name when speaking to the ward, social worker or Transfer of care team, depending on which organisation is arranging the care package.
Whether we are able to accept the package will depend on carer availability and whether we can safely provide the care at home.
Who do we contact with a concern about the discharge itself?
For concerns about the discharge process, contact QEH PALS on 01553 613351, available Monday to Friday 9-5pm.Messages left outside these hours are answered on the next working day.
Arranging Care for Someone Leaving the QEH
We provide home care, Night Care, Home from Hospital Care and live-in care for people leaving the Queen Elizabeth Hospital across West Norfolk and the Fens, including King’s Lynn, Hunstanton, Downham Market, Fakenham, Wisbech, March and Cambridgeshire area. For families who need support in place quickly, please call 01223 86406 or email referrals@aclasscare.co.uk and a member of our team will be happy to help you.
