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PRINTABLE PLANNING RECORD · HOME RETURN
Hospital-to-home planning checklist
Record practical questions about returning home and discuss them with the resident, family and hospital discharge team.
This organisational checklist is not a clinical assessment, discharge clearance or safety certification. The treating and assessment teams determine the care plan and suitability of arrangements. Follow their instructions and discuss unresolved concerns before leaving hospital.
Type notes and choose discussion statuses, then print or save as PDF. Entries are not saved automatically or submitted. Keep your completed copy securely. No personal identifiers are required.
What is a discharge plan, and where does this checklist fit?
A discharge plan is developed with the treating team to organise the care and support needed after leaving hospital or another care setting. Ask for understandable written instructions, who is arranging support and equipment, follow-up contacts and what to do if arrangements fail. The NHS discharge guide explains assessment and care-plan arrangements in its UK context.
This checklist records questions about the home and practical arrangements. It does not replace the hospital's discharge or care plan, determine medical readiness or authorise a return home. Use it during discussions with the team; the US Medicare checklist also encourages patients and caregivers to discuss equipment, assistance, costs and written instructions before leaving.
Arrival and access
Transport and keys
Agree transport, access to the home and who will be there on arrival.
Entrance and routes
Ask the team whether the actual entrance, doorways and essential routes suit the person and equipment.
Washing, toileting and transfers
Daily tasks
Discuss how washing, toileting and transfers will work, including assistance and equipment.
Equipment and instruction
Confirm assessed equipment is available, compatible and installed as instructed; ask for training where needed.
Sleeping and overnight support
Sleeping arrangement
Agree a workable sleeping location and route to essential rooms with the assessment team.
Help overnight
Record how help can be reached and what happens if the planned assistance is unavailable.
Care instructions and follow-up
Written instructions
Ask for understandable written discharge instructions, the applicable care plan and follow-up arrangements.
Medicines and supplies
Confirm the team has explained medicines, supplies and who to contact with questions. Do not use this worksheet to change treatment.
Practical support
Everyday essentials
Arrange food, drinks, heating where needed and help with everyday tasks.
Caregiver capacity
Tell the discharge team what assistance is available and what training or extra support is needed.
Contacts and unresolved questions
Problems and emergencies
Ask whom to contact if care, equipment or recovery does not go as expected, and what to do in an emergency.
Before leaving
Discuss unresolved access, care and equipment concerns with the discharge team; record who will follow up and when.
Official guidance and further reading
- NHS: Being discharged from hospital
- NHS: Planning to leave hospital
- Medicare: Official discharge planning checklist
Sources reviewed 7 October 2026. NHS guidance describes UK pathways; Medicare guidance is US-specific. This original record is not endorsed by either organisation. Confirm local arrangements.
Preparing for surgery?
Read the questions to ask before returning home after surgery, then record the team’s answers in this checklist.
Turn this guide into a plan
Choose the next step that fits your project. These tools help prepare a discussion; they do not replace an individual assessment.
Frequently asked questions
Is this home-return checklist a hospital discharge plan?
No. It helps you record practical access, equipment and support questions for the treating and assessment teams. The hospital's discharge and care-planning process determines medical readiness and care arrangements. Discuss unresolved concerns with the team and ask who will follow up and when.