A new unit has opened at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust’s (NUH) Queen’s Medical Centre to improve care for patients waiting to be discharged.

The new facility will provide 24-hour discharge support, seven days a week, offering a relaxed and comfortable area for patients to wait to get their medications, transport home, or anything they need before they get discharged from hospital.

Government funding was provided to support the development, which will help to reduce delayed discharges and free up beds at the hospital.

The unit will provide a friendly environment with access to snacks, hot meals, activities, and even food bags for patients to take home.

A clothes bank has also been set up to make sure patients who need them have appropriate clothes to travel home in.

With 20 beds and 20 chairs, it is expected that the unit could potentially save around six bed spaces per patient.

And specialist rooms for end-of-life care have also be created, which will ensure privacy for families and patients.

Lisa Wells, deputy clinical lead for admitted care at the trust, said: “The new discharge unit will have a significant impact on patient safety and will help with capacity across the trust as it will ensure that more beds are freed up for patients who need them the most, ensuring they can be handed over to the emergency department quicker and ambulances can get back out on the roads.

“We already have discharge lounges which help with flow throughout the hospital, but the new unit will be able to run 24/7, which we hope will have an even bigger impact, helping to get patients who are ready for home discharged in a comfortable area, whatever time of day it is.”