Hospitals and people with disabilities
If you have a disability, find out what support is available in and after leaving hospital, and what you need to do if you claim benefits.
In hospital
If you go into hospital for an appointment or to stay, there are some things you may need to think about before, during and after.
Going to hospital
When you go to hospital:
- tell the hospital about your disability
- say what extra help you need
- find out how your benefits or financial support may be affected
When you go to hospital you will fill in an admission form. Hospital staff can help you.
Sometimes you will be able to fill in this form before going to hospital.
The form records your needs, so hospital staff know what support you need.
Your doctor may also advise hospital staff about any specific needs you may have, such as medication you take.
If you have a care, you may like to include them when you talk to hospital staff.
Hospital passport
A hospital passport is a document about you and your health needs.
If you are going into hospital, you can bring a copy of your hospital passport with you.
The passport gives hospital staff important information about you, including:
- how you prefer to communicate
- your medical history
- any support you might need while in hospital
If you don't bring one, hospital staff will give you a blank copy to fill in yourself, or with help from your carer, or someone who knows you well.
Appointments and consultations
Some arrangements may be important to sort out before going to hospital for a consultation or a longer stay. For example, if you are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus, arrangements can be made for a sign language interpreter to be available for a certain time.
Some organisations that support people with specific disabilities give advice on staying in hospital.
Your needs in hospital
You can discuss any needs you have with hospital staff before, or on, admission to hospital. This could include:
- any routines that you have
- specialist equipment that you may need to take with you
- having someone, such as a carer, with you at certain times
- easy access to facilities, for example, bathrooms and toilets
- being able to enjoy TV or radio, for example, using a fixed loop or subtitles
Hospital stays and your benefits
If you get benefits or other financial support, you must tell the Department for Communities, and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive office if you get housing benefit, as soon as you go into or come out of hospital.
Your benefits will be reassessed to take account of your new circumstances.
If you were not claiming any form of benefit before entering hospital you may be entitled to claim.
Going into hospital may affect any benefits you receive, including:
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Disability Living Allowance
- Attendance Allowance
Disability Living Allowance
If you go into hospital, nothing will usually happen to your Disability Living Allowance (DLA) straight away.
If DLA is paid for someone aged 16 or over, it will usually stop after the person has been in hospital for four weeks.
If DLA is paid for a child under 16 years old, it will usually stop after the child has been in hospital for 12 weeks.
Attendance Allowance
Attendance Allowance will usually stop after you have been in hospital for four weeks.
Employment and Support Allowance
If you are admitted to hospital your Employment and Support Allowance may be affected after a period of four weeks if you receive extra premiums on your award.
If you claim as part of a couple there may be changes after a period of 52 weeks in hospital.
Carer's Allowance
If someone receives Carer's Allowance because they are caring for you, this can continue for up to 12 weeks if you or they go into hospital.
However, their Carer's Allowance will stop if your Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance stops.
Carers must tell Disability and Carers Service if they, or the person they care for, go into or come out of hospital.
Universal Credit
If you are admitted to hospital your Universal Credit payments may be affected after a period of six months.
You must report changes by signing in to your Universal Credit online account.
Leaving hospital
Discharge plans
There should be a plan in place for when you leave hospital to make sure you continue to get all the support you need.
This is called a discharge plan.
This plan might include:
- how you will get home
- the support you might need at home
- medicine you need and how to take it
It should also include a care plan to support you after you are settled at home.
Every hospital should have its own policy and arrangements for discharging patients.
The care you may need could be extra, or different, to support you received in the past.
A named nurse or ward-based care coordinator will be responsible for you leaving hospital.
The hospital should contact your doctor to tell them of your status.
If you have recently become disabled, or have given birth to a child with disabilities, the hospital will automatically tell social services so that support can be arranged.
You should be given information about:
- the disability
- relevant organisations and support groups
- benefits and financial support
- equipment you may need
If you are a carer of someone who is leaving hospital, you may, be involved in the discharge process, with the patient's consent.
Assessment before you leave hospital
If you need ongoing health and social support after leaving hospital, a team (which may include a consultant, doctors, nurses and local social services) will carry out an assessment.
This is called a multi-disciplinary assessment.
Each Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust sets its own eligibility criteria to access care, which will then affect the type and level of support you receive.
Services given by a HSC Trust may be charged for.
You should be fully involved in the assessment process. You should also be informed about the complaints procedure in case you are not happy with the outcome of the assessment.
Most teams will have a social worker who will make sure social services know about any extra support you will need at home.
Other specialists may also be part of the team, such as occupational therapists.
If you were receiving services before going to hospital, these may continue when you leave hospital.
You should not be discharged from hospital before the services you need have been arranged.
Support after leaving hospital
The HSC Trusts work together to meet your needs if you have continuing health and social care needs when you leave hospital.
Care options
Following the assessment, possible care options include:
- support at home with a care package of health and social care
- sheltered housing
- a residential care or nursing home
- admission for Health Service continuing (long-term) care
- care in a rehabilitation centre
If you have a carer and need extra help when you return home, with your permission, they can be given information about your care needs.
Health Service continuing (long-term) care
'Continuing health and social care' is a package of care that involves services from both the Health Service and social care.
To access this care you must meet the eligibility criteria set by your Trust.
If staff think you are eligible they will apply on your behalf.
The Health Service will pay for all of your care needs.
This might be in a care home or sometimes in your own home.
When your HSC Trust assesses you for discharge from hospital, your discharge team should arrange for assessments to identify your needs and make referrals for you.
Rehabilitation
There are day centres throughout Northern Ireland with facilities to help rehabilitate people with impairments because of injury or illness.
Types of support include:
- physiotherapy
- speech therapy
- occupational therapy
Referral to a day centre can come from your hospital consultant or your doctor.