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Wednesday
20  May
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supported by NPTC Group

Hospitals improve weekend discharges

 
20/05/2026 @ 09:04

 

Patients are benefiting from improved weekend-discharge processes, thanks to closer collaboration between therapy teams, the Care Transfer Hub and discharge colleagues at Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Community and Hospitals NHS Group.

The changes are already delivering results, with weekend discharges increasing by 7%, with the most significant improvement seen on Sundays.

Traditionally, some patients who were medically ready to leave hospital weren’t able to go home over the weekend as they needed therapy support. To tackle this, teams across the Group and system partners worked together to redesign how weekend discharges are supported, ensuring patients can return home sooner, safely, and with the right support in place.

Additional therapy capacity has been introduced at weekends, alongside earlier identification of patients who can be safely discharged.

This has included:

  • Extra weekend physiotherapy and occupational therapy cover
  • Closer joint-working with the Care Transfer Hub which helps patients return home safely, confidently, and with the right support in place. This is a seven-day service from 8am to 8pm
  • A new joint 8.30am daily meeting to prioritise patients and allocate work effectively
  • Strengthening the Care Transfer Hub with new therapy leads and a discharge liaison nurse

Since the changes were introduced, the Group has seen:

  • A 7% increase in weekend discharges, with the greatest improvement on Sundays
  • Significant reductions in average length of stay:
    • Complex patients reduced hospital stay from 19.58 days to 10.13 days (December 2024 to December 2025)
    • Other patients reduced from 11 days to six days over the same period
  • Fewer therapy-related discharge delays on Monday mornings, reducing from 5-20 patients previously to 1-10 patients

Ned Hobbs, Group Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive, SaTH, said: “This is a fantastic example of what can be achieved when teams work together with a shared focus on what matters most – our patients.”