Could hospital discharge be better? Share your experience with Healthwatch Cheshire East
Healthwatch Cheshire East is inviting local people to share their experiences of leaving hospital as part of a new survey to improve hospital discharge experiences across the country.
Being discharged means leaving the hospital ward where you were being treated. This may include returning home, moving to a care home, to a community hospital bed, or somewhere else to continue your recovery.
If patients are discharged too early without proper support, they may need to be readmitted to hospital or seek help from GPs or pharmacies.
Meanwhile, delays in discharging medically fit people create issues for new patients needing beds, leading to longer wait times in A&E and treatment in corridors until beds are available.
In Cheshire East, in May 2026, 2,432 people experienced hospital discharge delays of one or more days.
The survey, which asks you to share experiences that happened in the last year, is particularly aimed at MEN who experienced difficulties during the discharge process, including:
• Delays in leaving hospital.
• Leaving hospital before they were ready.
• Problems accessing the support, equipment, medication, information, or follow-up care needed after leaving hospital.
People are invited to share their experience by answering the questions in this link by Friday 9 October. The survey will only take a few minutes of your time, and your feedback is anonymous.