Improved King’s Mill Hospital discharge lounge aims to free up much-needed beds

This Department of Health and Social Care funding will further enhance the care that can be delivered to patients, by creating a more positive and comfortable experience for patients while they are in hospital.

Increasing the capacity of the lounge will help free-up hospital beds to make way for people who are waiting to be admitted, reducing the time it takes for patients to be admitted from the hospital emergency department.

There are also significant advantages for the patient in being transferred to a designated discharge lounge, as they provide a more comfortable environment for patients to wait while they wait for their medication and prepare to be transferred home.

Denise Wharmby, urgent and emergency care matron at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs King’s Mill, said: “There is a lot of evidence to show that patients recover better at home once their treatment in hospital is complete.

“Waiting in the more relaxed and friendly environment of the discharge lounge also gives specialist staff the opportunity to help prepare patients to re-adjust as they prepare for life out of hospital.”

Steven Jenkins, trust divisional general manager of urgent and emergency care, said: “Currently, only a very small percentage of trust discharges can be accommodated in the discharge lounge in King’s Mill.

"Greater capacity will significantly increase the percentage of patients who can transfer to the lounge, rather than occupying much needed beds once they are ready to be discharged. Making every bed count really is key.

“There is huge demand for NHS services across the county right now and our hardworking staff are going to extraordinary lengths every day to be there for the patients they care for. This move is just one of several measures being taken by the trust to relieve current pressures, which also includes treating more patients in its Same Day Emergency Care unit that is helping to reduce hospital admissions.”

Work has already started, and the lounge – as well as a new discharge lounge at the trust’s Newark Hospital – will be open by spring.