What to arrange before leaving hospital: Post-hospital care checklist

Key takeaways

• Asking the hospital care team the right questions before discharge can help you feel clearer about medicines, wound care, mobility and follow-up appointments.
• Preparing the home in advance and arranging post-hospital care support may make the first few days and weeks of your recovery feel more comfortable and manageable.
• After hospital care at home services may include nursing, personal care, allied health, domestic support, transport and help with everyday routines.
• No referral or waitlist is needed to arrange private post-hospital care through Mable.
• Payment options through Mable include credit card, direct debit and eligible government funding.

Leaving hospital after an illness, injury or surgery can feel like a big relief, whether you’re going home yourself or helping someone you care about return home. But it may also feel a bit stressful, especially if there are new medicines, follow-up appointments, mobility changes or care instructions to manage.

This post-hospital care checklist is designed to help you prepare before discharge, so coming home feels more supported. It focuses on privately arranged in-home support through a platform like Mable. In this checklist, we'll cover:

• What to do before leaving hospital
• Home preparation checklist
• Post-hospital care you can arrange at home
• How to get started with Mable.

It’s important to understand this is different from the government’s Hospital in the Home (HITH) program or the Out of Hospital Care Program. These programs are usually short-term, have eligibility requirements and are generally arranged through a hospital or health service.

Before leaving hospital: What questions should you ask the care team?

Before leaving discharge day, it may help to understand what has been arranged as part of your hospital discharge planning. You might like to write down some questions to ask the hospital care team while they’re still available. This may help you feel clearer about what needs to happen next.

Consider asking some of these questions:

• What wound care is needed? How often do dressings need to be changed? Who should do this?
• What medicines do I need to take at home? Have any medicines changed or stopped? When should each medicine be taken?
• What follow-up appointments are needed? Who are they with? When do they need to happen?
• Will a discharge summary or care plan be sent to my GP?
• Can I have a copy of the care instructions I need to follow at home?
• Are there any mobility, lifting, driving or activity restrictions?
• Is any equipment needed at home, such as a walking frame, shower chair or raised toilet seat?
• Is a referral to a community health service or home-visiting GP appropriate?
• Who should I contact if symptoms change or I’m unsure about the recovery plan?

Hospital social workers or discharge planners may also be able to help coordinate some supports before you leave hospital. You can also arrange post-hospital care services yourself or on behalf of a parent, partner or family member.

How do you get the home ready for a return from hospital?

Getting the home ready before discharge can make a big difference to the first few days back. It may reduce some avoidable stress and make everyday tasks easier to manage while recovery begins.

This checklist can help you prepare your home, or the home of the person you care for. If you’re not able to do these tasks yourself, and there isn’t someone else who can help before discharge, you may like to consider arranging practical assistance from an independent support worker.

Home preparation checklist:

• Clear pathways. Concentrate on the most-used areas, such as between the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living area.
• Remove trip hazards. This includes things like loose rugs, cords or clutter.
• Review the bathroom for safety. Consider whether grab rails, a non-slip mat or shower chair may be needed.
• Review the bedroom for accessibility. Are all essentials within reach, such as water, a phone charger, medicines and glasses?
• Stock the kitchen. Easy-to-prepare food can be helpful or consider nutritious pre-prepared meals for the first few days back.
• Fill prescriptions in advance. It can be a good idea to ensure you have the medication you need before coming home, where possible.
• Arrange transport home. Confirm transport home from the hospital, including whether help is needed getting in and out of the car.
• Plan for the first few days. Consider who’ll be available during the first 24 to 48 hours if extra reassurance or practical support is needed.

If you or the person you care for need significant home changes, such as installing grab rails or an access ramp, an occupational therapist can complete a home safety assessment. Through Mable, you can find qualified occupational therapists who may help identify risks, recommend equipment and suggest changes that support safer daily living at home.

What post-hospital support can you arrange at home?

Having the right post-hospital home care arranged before discharge may help ease some worries you have about your recovery at home. You can quickly arrange support services through a platform like Mable, without a referral or joining a waiting list. It’s free to join and you can choose the type of support that suits your needs, daily routines and budget.

Here are some of the post-hospital care services you can arrange through Mable with qualified nurses, allied health professionals and verified independent support workers:

Nursing care

This type of care can be helpful if you’re stepping down from hospital-level care but still need clinical oversight at home. Nursing support can include:

• Wound care
• Catheter care
• Medication management
• Vital signs monitoring
• Respiratory support.

Personal care

Personal care covers support with day-to-day tasks. This kind of post-hospital home care may be helpful if your strength, balance, mobility or confidence has changed after surgery, illness, injury or a hospital stay. It may help you feel more comfortable while you settle back into home routines.

Personal care support may include help with:

• Showering
• Dressing
• Toileting
• Grooming
• Eating and drinking
• Moving safely around the home.

Allied health

Allied health support may help with rehabilitation, recovery and confidence at home. It can be especially relevant after surgery, a fall, an injury or a hospital stay that affects movement, daily tasks or independence.

Allied health support can include:

• Physiotherapy to rebuild strength, mobility and movement
• Occupational therapy to review home safety and suggest practical changes.

Domestic and everyday support

Recovery may be harder when the everyday tasks keep building up. This kind of support may help you genuinely rest, instead of worrying about meals, the house or transport.

Domestic and everyday support may include:

• Housecleaning
• Laundry
• Meal preparation
• Grocery shopping
• Gardening
• Transport to follow-up appointments.

How do you get started with booking support on Mable?

You don’t need a referral or need to join a waitlist to start arranging private post-hospital care through Mable. You can book support before leaving hospital, whether you need one session, short-term recovery support or ongoing help at home. Here’s how to get started:

Step 1: Connect with a support worker

You can find an independent support worker through Mable in two ways:

Create a free Mable account and then post a job ad for post-hospital care. It may help to include practical details in your job post, such as:

• Discharge timing
• Mobility
• Personal care
• Transport needs
• Nursing instructions
• Whether support is short term or ongoing.

or

Browse local support worker profiles directly. Use search filters to find the right support worker, sorting by:

• Service type
• Location
• Qualifications
• Interests
• Other details that matter to your recovery.

Step 2: Book a session

Once you’ve found someone who may be suitable, you can discuss and agree on the job details, including rates and support session times. Independent support workers set their own rates and vary based on experience, qualifications and service complexity. Many independent support workers on Mable also offer a free meet and greet before booking a support session. This can be particularly valuable for post-hospital care, where trust, communication and fit may matter from the first day home.

Every session booked through Mable also includes insurance covering the independent support worker’s actions while providing care.

Step 3: Pay for support

You can pay for post-hospital care by credit card, direct debit or eligible government funding, such as NDIS funding or Support at Home funding. Invoices are always available in your Mable account, and you can also manage bookings and keep track of support sessions in the same place. This can make managing your support easier, either for yourself or the person you care for.

Post-hospital care can help make coming home easier

Coming home from hospital can be both challenging and a relief. While you may be happy to return home, you may feel worried about how you’ll manage with your recovery and everyday tasks.

Having the right after hospital care at home may make a real difference to how supported, safe and comfortable you feel during recovery.

You can use this checklist as a starting point to prepare before you leave the hospital. It may help you ask the right questions and think about what support may be useful after discharge.

If you need care quickly, you can sign up on Mable and book local, verified independent support workers in as little as 4 hours with last-minute jobs.

Get started on Mable today and arrange post-hospital home care that suits your needs.