Grants to support discharge from hospital

The Discharge Support Grant is a new initiative brought in to help people stay well following a recent hospital stay, or return home or to a care home from hospital as soon as they are medically well enough with help from family, friends, carers or voluntary supporters. Up to £1,200 can be claimed for a range of minor costs associated with continued recovery at home.

One-off payments of between £200 and £1,200 can be made to an individual, family member, friend or voluntary supporter.

You may be referred to us by your NHS hospital or through community staff, and we will discuss with you, and those caring for you, how your needs can be met.

Find out more in our Discharge Support Grant leaflet. 

Who can receive a grant?

You are able to receive a support grant if:

• you are medically well enough to leave hospital but are unable to be discharged because you need extra support
• you have recently left hospital and need support in place to enable you to continue your recovery

The Discharge Support Grant is only available to people who live in Bristol, North Somerset or South Gloucestershire.

How much can you claim from the Discharge Support Grant?

One-off grants of up-to £1,200 can be made, based on your needs and how the funds would help you to leave hospital or stay well at home.

Once approved, payments and can be made to you, a family member, a carer, or a voluntary supporter within two working days following discharge from hospital.

Do you have to pay the grant back?

No, you will not have to pay back the money you spend to support your discharge.

What can the grant be used for?

The Discharge Support Grant can cover a wide range of things to help you to leave hospital and continue your recovery.

While not a complete list, the grant could cover support with household tasks like cleaning, transport, equipment, child-care cover, someone to care for your pet or to provide short-term personal care for you or your relative.

For example:

• If you have family members who would be able to care for you during the day, but they have children, the grant could be used to fund before/after school clubs to enable their children to be looked after while they look after you or be used to pay for a babysitter to free up some time in the evening for them to look after you
• If you have family members who have pets that require walking, the grant could be used to pay a dog walker, freeing up their time to look after you

• Sometimes family members who could look after you might find it difficult to cover the cost of fuel or taxi fares. The grant payment could be used to off-set that cost. Petrol costs would be capped at £0.45p per mile and for taxi/private hire at £3.00 per mile and a single taxi firm would need to be used

• The one-off purchase of equipment to support you during your initial recovery at home where this equipment cannot be sourced through the Integrated Care Board’s existing equipment services.

• You may wish to have short-term personal care support from a self-employed personal assistant to help with day-to-day activities or it may be possible for a family member or friend to be supported to become a self-employed personal assistant to care for you.

What can’t the grant be used for?

The grants cannot be used for any Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulated care. They also cannot be used for any continued support that does not relate to being discharged from hospital or prevention of readmission to hospital.

Below are some, not all, examples of what the Discharge Support Grant cannot be used for:

• Paying for everyday expenses like clothing or housing related bills like rent or utility costs
• Repaying debts
• Purchasing primary medical services (such as diagnostic tests, vaccinations, immunisation, screening or general medical treatment)
• Paying for planned surgical procedures
• Paying for certain charges relating to dental treatments, optical appliances, medical appliances or pharmaceutical products or services, as the NHS already funds these services through existing contracts

Will using the grant impact eligibility for other care?

Grants will not stop you from being referred for other assessed support. If you need personal care as part of your recovery either the NHS or your local council will assess you for this.

How to apply for a Discharge Support Grant

Step 1: Referral

The team supporting you in hospital or at home will discuss the grant with you and refer you to Sirona Care & Health’s ‘Partner2Care’ team.

Step 2: Designing the package

Sirona care & health’s Partner2Care team will then work with you and the people supporting you to design a suitable, individualised package of support, based on your needs.

Step 3: Sign-off

Once you have agreed to the package of support, the Partner2Care team will sign-off on the package and arrange payment.

Will the Discharge Support Grant impact my Universal Credit or other benefits?

The discharge support grant will not impact on Universal Credit or any other benefits you receive.

More information is available from the medical teams in charge of your care or through the Partner2Care team at sirona.partnertocare@nhs.net or on 0800 111 4167 between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.

If you call outside these hours, please leave your name and contact number and the team will call you back.