ON THE face of it, leaving hospital to return home doesn’t sound like one of life’s trickiest adventures.

You get your discharge letter, pack your bed-jacket, and step into the waiting car or taxi.

But get any of it wrong and a large number of discharged patients will either end up coming back to hospital or fall into a muddle of accommodation, social services and domestic traumas that can end up costing the country millions to put right.

This month, Bournemouth’s social care charity BCHA is celebrating two years of running its successful Leaving Hospital Support Service, a does-what-it-says-on-the-tin scheme which has helped nearly 10,000 people return home and successfully take up their lives after a medical stay.

Carol Owen, manager of the Leaving Hospital Support Service, said: “The LHSS ensures that patients and carers have access to the appropriate information, services and support to remain safe and independent in their own homes.”

She said BCHA can provide people with information on reputable private care agencies, meal delivery, and cleaning and shopping services. They can also provide support with housing and financialissues, short term packages of care and make referrals to social services if patients have more complex circumstances that might require an assessment for more intensive support.

“At BCHA we recognise that a stay in hospital can be difficult for people, and can be a stressful and worrying time,” she said. “Our LHSS staff are there to reassure people and help answer patients’ questions while they are in hospital and then provide advice and support to help them when it is time to leave.”

An example of the scheme’s success was a patient who had been trying to manage unstable seizures, which had resulted in many visits to hospital.

“The LHSS referred the patient to a BCHA floating support worker who worked with the patient to find a solution,” said Carol. “The patient has now been assessed and is set to move into supported housing soon.”