Hi there and thanks for the post

I am sorry to hear about your dad and appreciate what a difficult time this must be for the family.

Now you dad is back in hospital it is important that your mom mentions to the team looking after him that she would like some more support to look after him at home. They can assess his needs in order to refer to the most appropriate community services.

Whilst patients discharge from hospital should include a planned meeting to ensure everything is set up at home unfortunately there are many occasions when this doesn't take place. This can be because the decision to discharge is very sudden and there is little or no time to get things arranged and instead this is passed on to the GP to sort ( who already has many other patients to sort out). 

Or there are instances where a referral has been made but it can take a while for the referral to be processed and for the patient or their family to be contacted and seen.

Either way it can make going home very challenging for both the patient and any loved one's caring for them  if they don't have the support, equipment or care in place that they may need. This of course will be different for everyone depending on what the patient can or can't do and how unwell or frail they are. We have some information about support at home on our website that lists some of the professionals such as physiotherapists, district nurses and palliative care nurses who patients may need access to at home. 

Moving forward as I say your mom needs to ask to have a discussion with the doctor and nurse at the hospital. Your mom and dad need to know what is to happen next and what input is needed at home. It sounds like your dad is quite poorly at the moment and it is important that any symptoms he has are well managed and that both he and your mom feel supported at this time.

Please get back to us if you need any more information or support.  You may find it helpful to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline.  The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

Best wishes to you and both your parents,

Naomi