Resources and guidance

SIGNED OUT

Source material underpinning the audit criteria. Local policy references are configured in Project setup.

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Recommended Lazomis QI Resources

Unlocking Hidden Capacity in NHS Discharge Pathways: A Practical Guide
Hidden Capacity
Guide

Directly relevant to avoidable discharge delays, discharge barriers, pathway coordination, weekend readiness and recovery of clinical capacity.

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Ward-Level Patient Flow: A Practical Guide for Optimising Care Delivery
Patient Flow
Guide

Covers expected discharge dates, criteria-led discharge, TTO readiness, transport, therapy, community support and escalation of unresolved barriers.

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Improving Board Round Effectiveness for Enhanced Patient Flow
Patient Flow
How-to article

Board rounds identify potential weekend discharges, assign actions, confirm readiness and give clear ownership of outstanding tasks.

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PDSA Cycles: A Practical Guide to Testing Change in Healthcare
Quality Improvement
Guide

Supports translating audit findings into tested changes such as Friday discharge checklists, weekend huddles and TTO escalation prompts.

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Audit-specific guidance and standards

Model discharge pathway
National guidance
NHS England

Describes the expected discharge process and pathway definitions used in this audit.

Open source
Hospital discharge and community support guidance
National guidance
GOV.UK / Department of Health and Social Care

Statutory and operational guidance for discharge planning and community support arrangements.

Open source
Discharge Ready Date guidance, examples and frequently asked questions
Operational standard
NHS England

Use where Discharge Ready Date reporting has been adopted locally.

Open source
NICE NG27: Transition between inpatient hospital settings and community or care home settings for adults with social care needs
National guidance
NICE

Underpins discharge coordination, communication and community interface criteria.

Open source
NICE QS136: Transition between inpatient hospital settings and community or care home settings for adults with social care needs
Professional standard
NICE

Quality statements used when setting local audit standards.

Open source

Local policies and procedures

Add your local reference number, version, owner and link for each policy in Project setup so they appear in reports and exports.
  • Local weekend discharge policy
    Local policy
  • Local discharge policy
    Local policy
  • Local criteria-to-reside policy
    Local policy
  • Local criteria-led discharge policy
    Local policy
  • Local expected discharge date policy
    Local policy
  • Local discharge pathway definitions
    Local policy
  • Local pharmacy / TTO weekend policy
    Local policy
  • Local discharge summary policy
    Local policy
  • Local therapy discharge planning policy
    Local policy
  • Local transport policy
    Local policy
  • Local equipment policy
    Local policy
  • Local community services / social care referral policy
    Local policy
  • Local safeguarding policy
    Local policy
  • Local Mental Capacity Act / best interests policy
    Local policy
  • Local weekend escalation or site policy
    Local policy
  • Local EPR / discharge planning guidance
    Local policy
  • Local information governance policy
    Local policy
Using guidance safely
National guidance sets expectations for discharge processes; it does not replace local policy, professional judgement or organisational governance. Confirm local applicability before changing practice, and cite the version of any guidance used in your report.