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Discharge Information

Your care team will work with you to make a plan for leaving the hospital.

Planning for your care needs

Planning to leave the hospital begins soon after you are admitted to the hospital. 

You are considered for discharge when your health-care team determines that you no longer need medical care at the hospital.

We know that preparing for discharge, either to your home or to another facility, can feel confusing and overwhelming, especially at the beginning of your care journey. Your care team will work with you, your family and/or caregiver(s) to provide the best plan possible for your safe transition from hospital.

Note: This content was adapted with permission from a document developed by University Health Network and Ontario Health.

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After you are admitted to the hospital, your health-care team will work with you to plan your care goals and plan for the day when you will leave the hospital. This is called your day of discharge.

Conversations about your discharge will take place soon after you are admitted. Knowing when you will leave the hospital can help you, your family and your caregiver(s) plan ahead and explore your options. Your health-care team can also arrange any follow-up care you may need when you leave the hospital.

Sometimes patients may be transferred to a different unit or another site/hospital during their stay. This depends on your needs and where you can best receive the care you require.

Your health-care team will keep you informed of any possible transfers. No matter which site/hospital you are transferred to, they will always help you prepare to leave the hospital.

Going home is typically the first choice for patients. This is called the home first approach.

If you need care at home, Home and Community Care Support Services will talk with you while you are still in the hospital about your care needs and the resources in the community that may be right for you. They may contact you virtually (by phone) or in person, depending on your situation. Ask your health-care team for more information.

Once you know your day of discharge, you need to arrange your own transportation home. If you need help, ask your health-care team for a list of phone numbers for travel options, such as an ambulance, taxi or wheelchair accessible taxi.

Note: The Hospital does not pay for your transportation to leave the hospital.

If your needs cannot be met at home, your health-care team will work with you to decide what type of facility can best provide the care you need. A care site could include:

  • Inpatient rehabilitation
  • A reactivation care centre
  • A transitional care unit
  • Complex continuing care
  • Convalescent care
  • A long-term care home
  • A retirement home
  • Supportive housing
  • Palliative care
  • A hospital in your local community

If you are eligible for one or more of these care sites, your health-care team will help with you application and transfer there.

If your needs can best be met in a long-term care home, your care team and a placement coordinator from Home and Community Care Support Services will work with you to find a home that meets your care needs. This may include placement in a long-term care home where you will wait until a space becomes available in your preferred home.

Hospitals are not homes and are not designed to meet a person’s supportive or rehabilitative needs. There is evidence that while you wait in hospital, without the social and recreational supports provided in settings such as long-term care, you could be at risk for physical and cognitive decline. You may also be at risk for hospital-based infections. Your timely admission into a long-term care home will ensure you get the health and personal care required to support your independence, safety and quality of life.

Speak with any member of your care team. They are here to support you.