What if you are discharged from the hospital?

Discharge planning

The date and time of your discharge from the hospital will be determined by your attending physician.

You are responsible for notifying your family or loved ones about your discharge. This will also allow you to discuss transportation and possible home care.

If you move to another healthcare facility after your hospital stay, the social worker will arrange this in consultation with your physician, yourself or your loved ones.

We want to keep the length of stay as short as possible.  This means that at the time of discharge, you may not be able to take up all the activities you did before you were admitted.

• You may need aids to get around…..
• Daily household chores may be more difficult for the time being.
• Are you considering spending your rehabilitation or recovery period away from home?

We encourage you to think about the possible care or assistance you may need after your procedure or treatment already prior to your admission.

The social workers in the hospital can inform and advise you about the possibilities upon discharge, and if necessary, plan the necessary practical help even before your hospital admission.

You can contact Social Services with your questions and concerns at :

• 02/ 257 54 66, on weekdays between 8 AM and 4 PM.
• socialediensten [at] azjanportaels.be (socialediensten[at]azjanportaels[dot]be)
• If you have already been admitted, ask the ward nurse to contact the social worker.

If home nursing care is required, you will receive contact information for home nursing services or be assisted by the nurse or social worker.

The day of your discharge from the hospital

On the day of your discharge, you will usually need to leave the hospital in the morning. No lunch will be provided.

You will receive a discharge brochure from the nurse. This brochure contains all the documents and prescriptions needed for your follow-up care: medication prescriptions, check-up appointments, etc.

• Your attending physician will send a discharge letter to your GP, in most cases it will be sent electronically.
• If you need your doctor to complete certificates for your insurance or employer, it is best to provide them to the physician in advance. That way, they will be filled out in time and ready in your discharge folder.

The home medication that was stored for you when you were admitted will be returned to you. Hospitals are not allowed to give medication to take home with you. You will be given the necessary new medication to cover the first 24h. With the exception of discharges on Friday evenings, during the weekend or on holidays. Then you will get enough newly started medication for a maximum of three days.

If you are being picked up by a family member or loved one, they can use paid parking lot 1 at the Gendarmeriestraat entrance. You can park there for free for the first 30 minutes, to allow for a quick pick-up. You can also wait in the entrance hall for your driver to bring the car around. Here you will also find wheelchairs, available with a 2 EUR coin.

If you need to be transported by ambulance, this will be arranged by the nurse. For short distances, we have a regular ambulance service. If you use this service, the insurance does not pay the cost, as it is based on your own contribution.

If you can be transported sitting down, but have no one to come pick you up, please notify the social worker in advance. Other solutions will then be discussed with you.

Upon your departure

When you leave the room, check carefully to make sure you haven't left anything behind.

We ask that you stop by the nursing station to notify the nurses that you are leaving. This is important to record your discharge.

If you leave the hospital without the express approval of the physician, you do so at your own risk. In that case, we will ask you to sign a statement. Your GP will be notified so he can vouch for the continuation of treatment.

We wish you a speedy recovery in advance!

Home nursing contact information

Kijk bij het verlaten van de kamer goed na of u niets hebt achtergelaten.

Wij vragen om langs te gaan bij de verpleegwacht om te melden dat u vertrekt. Dit is belangrijk voor de ontslagregistratie. 

Heb je een vervolgafspraak nodig? We plannen dit alvast in tijdens je verblijf of we vragen jouw contactgegevens. 

Als je thuis nood hebt aan ondersteuning, dan verwittig je de thuiszorgdiensten best op tijd. Voor al je vragen over thuiszorg, kan je tijdens je verblijf terecht bij de sociale dienst.

Indien u het ziekenhuis zou verlaten zonder uitdrukkelijke goedkeuring van de arts, doet u dit op  eigen verantwoordelijkheid. In dat geval vragen wij u om een verklaring te ondertekenen. Uw huisarts wordt ingelicht zodat hij kan instaan voor de verderzetting van de behandeling.

Wij wensen u alvast een spoedig herstel!