Planned Date of Discharge

What is Planned Date of Discharge?

When people are admitted to hospital, one of the first questions often asked is “when am I getting home?”. Planned Date of Discharge (PDD) allows for that question to be answered. PDD is person centred, as the discharge is planned around the patient and not on the availability of care, equipment or long term care placement.

Improving delayed discharge rates from hospital is a key performance indicator and priority for HSCPs in Lanarkshire, and indeed nationally. PDD has already reduced delayed discharge in South Lanarkshire HSCP from one of the highest in the country – to one of the lowest. This has also enhanced the availability of acute beds for those patients who need them.

This approach is now being scaled up in NHS Lanarkshire’s three acute sites in close partnership with North Lanarkshire HSCP and partners.

PDD was born in challenging times. Yet the onset of Covid provided an opportunity to look at the discharge process differently. The key feature of PDD is multidisciplinary teams of health and care professionals working together with hospital staff and looking at discharge planning with the patient and family as soon as possible. A PDD – a specific date of discharge from hospital – is identified at the earliest opportunity with plans made to agree a safe and appropriate transition back home.