Leaving hospital

Staying in hospital as an inpatient

The staff looking after you will make sure you have the support and advice you need when you are ready to leave hospital. This is sometimes called being 'discharged'.

Getting support in place

Our aim is to make sure all the services you need are in place before you leave hospital, including any extra help you might need after your hospital stay.

For example, we might ask you:

about your home
how many stairs you have to climb
if you have relatives or friends who will be able to support you during your recovery

We also ask about any help or support you get from social services or community health professionals, such as district nurses. We'll arrange any referrals for you.

If you need a certificate to claim sickness benefit, please let your nurse or ward administrator know as soon as possible.

Continuing spiritual care

The spiritual care team can arrange support for you after you leave hospital if that is what you would like. Please ask your nurse to contact them before you leave.

Arranging transport

We ask that you arrange for your own transport if possible.

If you need to use it, you can find details of our patient transport service on the help with travel page.

Collecting valuables

If you asked staff to safely store any valuables, remember to collect these from the cashiers' office when you leave.

Our cashier's offices are open Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 4:30pm.

Cashier's office at St Thomas' Hospital

Phone: 020 7188 2329

Address: ground floor, North Wing corridor, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH

We're opposite Creative Hair hairdressing salon.

North Wing ground floor map

(PDF 2.25MB)

Cashier's office at Guy’s Hospital

Phone: 020 7188 2343

Address: ground floor, Tower Wing, Guy's Hospital, Great Maze Pond, London SE1 9RT

We're opposite the post room.

Tower Wing ground floor map

(PDF 2.37MB)

Medicines

Any remaining medicines will be returned to you when you're discharged from hospital.

We also supply at least 14 days of the medicines you need where possible, unless you have enough at home.

Your pharmacist will explain everything you need to know about taking your medicines correctly.

Questions you might want to ask your doctor, pharmacist or nurse

Why do I need to take this medicine?
How do I take it?
What are the alternatives?
When should I take it?
How long do I need to take it for?
Can I take it with food?
What are the side effects?
Who should I contact if I get side effects?
Do I need any monitoring or follow-up?
What should I do when it runs out?

If you are unable to return home

The Simon Patient Lodge in Gassiot House is opposite Lambeth Wing at St Thomas' Hospital. It is available for people who are unable to return home when they're well enough to leave the ward. This may be because they are recovering from surgery or for other domestic reasons.

If our staff feel it's appropriate for you to stay in the Simon Patient Lodge, they will arrange this for you. There's no charge for NHS patients.

Relatives and friends can stay in either Counting House Lodge at Guy's Hospital or Gassiot Lodge at St Thomas' Hospital.

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