Improving discharge: the role of the discharge co-ordinator

Discharge of patients from hospital has in the past been handled haphazardly by healthcare professionals. Co-ordination of this important part of a person's experience of hospital would have psychological and emotional benefits for patients, staff and the NHS as a whole. In this article, the author describes the role of the discharge co-ordinator in planning strategically for patient discharge. In a second article, to follow shortly, the author discusses how multidisciplinary liaison can be improved.