A delayed discharge and family pressure

Setting: A ward update

Discharge is being considered, but the supplied plan requires completion of a home-support assessment first.

Task

Explore the concern behind this opening: My family has already come to collect me. Why can I not leave now?
Clarify the patient perspective using an appropriate follow-up, such as: What worries you about the discharge arrangements?
Explain the supplied information and its limits in manageable sections.
Explore practical barriers and agree a workable next step from the supplied options.
Check the patient understanding and identify any unresolved question.

A delayed discharge and family pressure supplied information

Discharge is being considered, but the supplied plan requires completion of a home-support assessment first.
The remaining step in this fictional plan is the home-support assessment. The team needs to establish what help is arranged rather than assume that a lift home covers the needs afterwards.
I cannot give a discharge time or say that the support is already in place. Your family's arrival does not complete that assessment.
We can pass that specific information to the discharge team and ask them to discuss the options with you and, with permission, your daughter.
The discharge coordinator will update you after the assessment. Ask for that update before your family makes further travel arrangements.

Fictional scenario information supplied for exam communication practice only; not medical guidance for real patients.