HAVING to go into hospital is a stressful experience, but the support and care given when a person is going home again is equally important.

So it is concerning that a watchdog report has highlighted some issues with discharging at Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

Although it found staff were doing what they could to make the discharge process easier, there were still issues around how prepared patients felt, patient transport and waiting times for prescriptions.

The Royal Sussex is an extremely busy hospital and demand for beds is always high so it is necessary that patients are discharged as soon as safely possible.

Obviously it is important that all the necessary support is in place before a person goes home – but hospitals need the support of other NHS services in the community, the ambulance service and the council to ensure those facilities are available.