The Hidden Costs of Hospital Discharge | Research Study from the University of Birmingham

The University of Birmingham (UOB) is seeking individuals involved in providing social care to those aged 65 or over to participate in important research regarding hospital discharge.

Understanding the costs and outcomes associated with Hospital Discharge from the perspective of people, carers and local authorities

The research is titled the ‘Hidden Costs of Hospital Discharge’ and is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research. As part of the research, the project aims to gather charity and provider perspectives on the experiences of older people after hospital discharge. This includes exploring current practices, challenges, and the effectiveness of collaboration between different organisations.

You are invited to participate in a one-off interview to discuss your experiences. The interview will last between 45 and 60 minutes and can be conducted in person or online. As a token of appreciation, those who participate in the interview will receive a £20 shopping voucher.

If you have any questions or would like to take part, please contact Dr Stephen Williams at s.j.williams@bham.ac.uk or call 07890 426602.

There is currently little evidence of how well older people, and those who care about them (family and friends), cope after they are discharged from hospital. How well people are able to cope will be influenced by the planning and preparation conducted prior to discharge, communication and collaboration between different organisations, and effective ongoing support, where this is needed. The UOB is seeking to develop a better understanding of these processes, along with challenges and best practice. They are particularly interested in this issue from a social care perspective.

About the research:

The research is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and is being led by the University of Birmingham. They want to talk to people from local authorities, charities, independent care providers, and other relevant organisations.

This is the first step in a wider project and will help the UOB to understand current (best) practice, examples of joint working and collaboration, the priorities of different stakeholders, challenges, and concerns.

What will happen if I take part?

You are being invited to take part in a one-off interview, that will be conducted by a researcher from the University of Birmingham. It’s anticipated that interviews will last between 45 and 60 minutes. Interviews can either be conducted in-person (at a place of work) or online (via Microsoft Teams). UOB will consult you on which interview format will fit best with your preference and availability. Interviews will be digitally audio recorded and then transcribed verbatim. Our analysis and interpretation will be based on these transcripts. The interviewer will broadly follow a topic guide, asking about your role and your experience and views relating to hospital discharge.

The University of Birmingham hopes you will be willing to share your views and experiences, so that you can help them to improve services for people in the future.

If you would like to take part, please contact Dr Stephen Williams at s.j.williams@bham.ac.uk or call 07890426602.