Free hospital discharge checklist for South Yorkshire
Keep the practical details of coming home from hospital in one place. This free printable, Getting moving again after a hospital stay, covers what to sort before you leave, useful contacts, home safety, when to get medical help, and a 14-day diary.
It is for adults and the people supporting them. Use it alongside your own discharge instructions, not instead of them. This South Yorkshire edition adds local contacts, from the councils to each main hospital's patient advice service.
Free to print, copy and share with patients, families and carers. No registration is needed. Organisations are welcome to link to this page so readers always find the latest version. A link is appreciated, but it is not a condition of using the checklist.
Your own care plan comes first. Follow the advice your hospital or care team gave you, including anything you must not do, and any advice about walking, exercise, eating or drinking. Use any equipment and help you were advised to use.
This is a checklist and a diary. It is not an exercise programme, and it is not a deadline for getting better.
Before you leave hospital
Tick each one when it is sorted. Ask the ward team about anything you are unsure of.
- My journey home is arranged, and I can get into my home.
- Anyone helping me knows when I am coming home. Any care visits are confirmed.
- I have my discharge letter or care plan, and I understand the next steps.
- I know which of my medicines have changed, and how and when to take each one.
- I have the medicines I need, and I know how to get more before they run out.
- Any equipment I need is ready, and I have practised using it.
- I know what help I need with my bed, chair, toilet and any stairs.
- Any exercises, and anything I must not do, have been explained and written down.
- Food and drinks are sorted for when I get home.
- If I have been in hospital for a while, someone will put the heating on before I get home, so the house is warm when I arrive.
- If I have a personal alarm or falls sensor, it is charged and working.
- I know about any follow-up appointments, and who to call if there is a problem.
- I have talked about my worries, and asked whether short-term help at home would be useful.
My useful contacts
The printable version has space to write these in.
- Hospital ward or discharge team, and phone: ____________________
- GP surgery and phone: ____________________
- Community or home care team and phone, if arranged: ____________________
- Equipment contact and phone: ____________________
- Follow-up appointment: date, time and place: ____________________
At home: little and often
Follow the advice from your own healthcare team first. Some of the points below may not be right for you, or may need changing. This is a general guide. If you are not sure something is safe for you, check with your healthcare team before you try it.
- Take it easy on your first day home. Getting home from hospital can be very tiring.
- Get dressed and sit out of bed for meals when you can, with help if you need it.
- Try not to sit or lie still for long spells. Move about in the way your care team advised, and walk only when it is safe, with your walking aid and any help you need.
- Do the exercises you were given, the way you were shown.
- Spread things out through the day and rest in between. Build up gradually. You do not have to do more every day.
- Have regular meals and drinks, following any advice you were given about diet, swallowing or how much to drink.
- If something new starts, or something gets worse, do not push through it. Ask for advice, and use the “When to get medical help” page.
The printable version also has space to write down anything you must not do, the help you need, and something you would like to work towards with your care team.
Making home safer
- Keep the places you walk clear of clutter, cables and loose rugs.
- Light the way to the toilet at night.
- Wear shoes or slippers that stay on securely and grip the floor.
- Put your personal alarm or falls sensor back on when you get home, and keep it charged. Keep your phone within reach.
- Use your walking aid as you were shown, and take your time getting up.
- Use a non-slip mat in the bath or shower, and any equipment recommended for you.
- Get help with lifting, reaching and heavy jobs.
Ask your GP or pharmacist whether any of your medicines could affect your balance. Do not change or stop a medicine without advice.
Where to get help in England and Wales
- Short-term help at home. Ask the ward before you leave, or your GP surgery or council once you are home. You may be assessed for short-term care, often called reablement or intermediate care. When it is offered it is free, and it usually lasts no more than 6 weeks, depending on your needs.
- Equipment and changes to your home. Your council’s adult social care team can tell you how to ask for an assessment.
- Worried about how you left hospital. Speak to the hospital team, or its patient advice service (PALS in England, the concerns team in Wales). For an urgent medical problem, use the “When to get medical help” page instead.
Local help in South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire has four councils: Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster and Barnsley. Use the number for the council where you live. Some services cover only part of the county, and some may charge.
- Adult social care: your council. Sheffield (First Contact Team) 0114 273 4908. Rotherham 01709 822330. Doncaster 01302 737391, Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5pm. Barnsley 01226 773300.
- Out of hours, emergencies only. Rotherham 01709 822330. Doncaster 0300 021 8996 (ask for Adult Social Care). Barnsley 01226 774466. If someone is in danger, call 999.
- Short-term help to get back on your feet. Each council has a short-term service to help you do things for yourself again after a hospital stay. In Sheffield and Rotherham it is free for up to 6 weeks. Ask the ward staff before you leave, or call your council. Doncaster's hospital discharge team: 01302 642530.
- Equipment and home changes. Ask for an occupational therapy assessment. Sheffield 0114 273 4709 (Monday to Friday, 10am to 12pm and 2pm to 4pm). Rotherham 01709 822330. Doncaster 01302 737391: the assessment and loan equipment are free. Barnsley 01226 775800, or 01226 645400 for basic items such as a commode.
- Personal alarms. A button you wear to call for help. Sheffield City Wide Care Alarms 0114 242 0351. Rotherham (Rothercare) 01709 822330. Doncaster 01302 862164. Barnsley 01226 775671. Sheffield, Doncaster and Barnsley charge for this.
- Help with falls. In Doncaster you can refer yourself to the Specialist Falls Service on 03000 218 996, weekdays 8am to 4pm. Elsewhere, ask your GP to refer you to the local falls team.
- Help for carers. Sheffield Carers Service 0114 272 8362, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. Crossroads Care Rotherham 01709 360272. Doncaster Wellbeing Team (carer's assessment) 01302 737100. Barnsley Carers Service 01226 288772.
- Home fire safety check. South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue has an online home fire safety check with advice. People at higher risk of fire may get a visit at home. If you cannot use the online check, call 0114 253 2314. syfire.gov.uk/request-safety-visit
- Healthwatch. Help finding services, and a place to tell someone about your care. All open Monday to Friday. Sheffield 0114 253 6688. Rotherham 01709 717130. Doncaster 01302 965450. Barnsley 01226 320106.
- Hospital patient advice (PALS). Northern General and Royal Hallamshire (Sheffield) 0114 271 2400. Rotherham Hospital 01709 424461. Doncaster Royal Infirmary, Montagu and Bassetlaw 01302 642764. Barnsley Hospital 01226 432571. Opening times vary, so check before you call.
Local contacts checked 2 November 2026. Services can change, so check before you rely on one.
When to get medical help
This is not a full list. Follow any extra advice in your discharge paperwork.
Call 999 now if you have
- Sudden chest pain or discomfort that does not go away, pain that spreads to your arm, neck, jaw or back, or chest pain with sweating, feeling sick, light-headed or short of breath.
- Severe difficulty breathing: gasping, choking or not able to get your words out.
- Pain and swelling in a leg together with chest pain or breathlessness. This can be a blood clot.
- Your face droops on one side, you cannot lift both arms, or your speech is slurred or muddled. These can be signs of a stroke. Call even if they stop.
- You have fallen and cannot get up, or you may have hurt your head, neck, back or hip.
- Bleeding that you cannot stop, for example from a wound or where you had stitches.
Do not drive yourself to A&E.
Call NHS 111, or get an urgent GP appointment, if you have
- New pain and swelling in one leg, sometimes with red or darker skin. This can be a blood clot.
- Breathlessness that comes on suddenly, or being more short of breath than usual.
- Coughing up blood.
- A wound or stitches that open up, or a wound that is bleeding, red, swollen, more painful or has pus coming out of it.
- You have fallen and are in pain, hurt or feeling unwell, but none of the 999 signs apply.
If any 999 sign applies, call 999 first.
Contact your GP or care team if
- You are worried about your walking or balance.
- You have had a fall, even if you were not hurt.
- Everyday things are getting harder to manage. Ask early. Do not wait for the diary to finish.
If you fall and cannot get up
- Call 999, or use your personal alarm. If you cannot reach either, shout or bang on the wall or floor.
- Keep warm. Cover yourself with anything within reach.
- Do not force yourself to get up. Follow the call handler’s advice about moving while you wait.
- Anyone with you should not try to lift you.
My 14-day record
Start on your first day at home. Tick the things that were right for you and that you managed, with help if needed. Write “n/a” where something does not apply. This is a record, not a test.
The days do not have to look the same. If something new starts or you are clearly getting worse, use the “When to get medical help” page rather than waiting for the diary to finish.
Keep this record and take it to any follow-up appointments.
The printable version has all 14 days with room to write. The first three look like this:
| Day | Date | Got dressed | Sat out for meals | Movement as advised | Exercises as advised | How I felt, or things to ask about |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||||
| 2 | ||||||
| 3 |
About this checklist
Prepared by Mobile Physiotherapist UK from NHS guidance. It is general information, not a personal treatment plan, and it is not issued or approved by the NHS.
- General guidance checked by: Claire Williamson, Chartered Physiotherapist (HCPC PH104255), 27 October 2026
- Sources checked: 20 October 2026
- South Yorkshire contacts checked: 2 November 2026
- Next review due: November 2027
- Edition: South Yorkshire edition, November 2026
Sources
- NHS: Falls
- NHS: Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
- NHS: Chest pain
- NHS: Shortness of breath
- NHS: Pulmonary embolism
- NHS: Symptoms of a stroke
- NHS: Being discharged from hospital
- NHS: Planning to leave hospital
- NHS: Care to support recovery after leaving hospital
- NHS: Home adaptations
- NHS: Physical activity guidelines for older adults
- UCLH: Home exercises to improve strength and balance following hospital admission (for pacing and rest)
- North Bristol NHS Trust: Managing your fluid intake (why fluid advice must follow your own team)
- NHS: Cuts and grazes (bleeding that will not stop, signs a wound needs checking)
- Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust: Stitches (a wound that opens, signs of infection)
- NHS: Keep warm, keep well (heating your home)
- NHS 111 Wales
- sheffield.gov.uk: short term help at home
- sheffield.gov.uk: request occupational therapy assessment
- sheffield.gov.uk: care alarms
- sheffield.gov.uk: report care related emergency
- rotherham.gov.uk: 7
- rotherham.gov.uk: 2
- rotherham.gov.uk: Enablement and mental health enablement
- rotherham.gov.uk: occupational therapy
- rotherham.gov.uk: community alarms
- doncaster.gov.uk: how to contact us
- doncaster.gov.uk: leaving hospital
- doncaster.gov.uk: occupational therapy
- doncaster.gov.uk: home alarm and telecare service
- doncaster.gov.uk: carersoffer
- barnsley.gov.uk: contact us
- barnsley.gov.uk: get a social care assessment
- barnsley.gov.uk: reablement
- barnsley.gov.uk: equipment and adaptations for your home
- barnsley.gov.uk: assistive living technology telecare
- rdash.nhs.uk: specialist falls
- sheffield-carers.org.uk
- crossroadsrotherham.co.uk
- barnsleycarers.co.uk: contact us
- syfire.gov.uk: request safety visit
- healthwatchsheffield.co.uk: contact us
- healthwatchrotherham.org.uk: contact us
- peoplesvoicedoncaster.org.uk: contact us
- healthwatchbarnsley.org.uk: contact us
- sth.nhs.uk: patient advice and liaison service pals
- therotherhamft.nhs.uk: feedback complaints
- dbth.nhs.uk: pals patient advice liaison service
- barnsleyhospital.nhs.uk: feedback and complaints
Spotted something that needs updating? Email office@mobilephysiotherapist.co.uk.
Would help at home make a difference?
Some people like a physiotherapist to visit them at home after a hospital stay. You can find a home-visit physiotherapist in South Yorkshire.