Going home from just got a whole lot better at Southport and Formby District hospital.

The ribbon was cut this week on a new £1.1m discharge lounge next to the main entrance.



It is the last stop for patients before leaving for home or their place of care, freeing up ward beds for newly-admitted patients.

The first patient through the door was Richard Tydd, of Southport, who was greeted with balloons and flowers by Junior Sister Michelle Durney and Chief Operating Officer Lesley Neary (pictured).

Lesley said: “The discharge lounge has had many homes at Southport over the years and we’re delighted the team have now got their own dedicated space.

“For patients, it means a new, more spacious, high quality environment at the front of the hospital that’s easy for families and carers to find.

“Understandably, the challenging work our A&E team faces gets a lot of attention, but it is the work of the discharge team that keep patients flowing through the hospital.”

In June, 77.6% of patients were admitted, transferred or treated within four-hours of arriving at A&E, making Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust the best-performing acute NHS trust in Cheshire and Merseyside.

“With this enhanced discharge lounge, we hope to do even better,” added Lesley.

Last year in the old lounge when I was being discharged it was around lunch time and the staff in the photo were really great. I told them that before I came down to the lounge to be discharged from the ward I had ordered a big plate of fish chips and peas with a cup of tea for my dinner and that I had told the staff up on the ward that I was disappointed that I would miss it.
I told the staff in the discharge lounge that the staff upstairs had promised to bring it down to me and they just laughed and said “that boat has sailed no one is going to do that but there’s a load of sandwiches here to choose from if you want” but I said no it’s ok I am certain they will come all the way down here with my fish and chips and they were certain they wouldn’t after all I was being discharged in a room full of people waiting to go home and the bed I had left was probably being filled now and the meal I ordered was probably going to the next person and every time one of them walk past me I could see in their faces they thought the staff upstairs had just told me anything to keep me happy as after all I would be gone in an hour or so. I was hanging on to the belief that I was getting fish and chips as the staff were so convincing when they were promising to bring it down to me.
And all of a sudden the door opened and one of the team from upstairs came in pushing a trolley with a massive plate of fish chips and peas on it and everyone in the lounge looked at me as to say he was right, but I knew they would as I had built up a good rapport with them, anyway a few hugs and I told you so’s later I was gone .

Cannot get out fast enough, only thing that holds you up is the 'waiting for your Meds'

Last time i was in I got out the bed one side and the next patient was getting in the other side.