Hospitals and people with disabilities

In hospital

If you go into hospital for a consultation or a longer stay, there are some things you may need to think about before, during and after.

Going to hospital

Things to think about include:

• telling the hospital of the nature of your disability
• what extra support you need because of your disability
• what happens to any benefits or financial support you normally get

When you go to hospital an admission form will be filled in by you and hospital staff. This is a standard procedure. Sometimes you will be able to fill in this form before going to hospital.

The form records any needs which you may want the hospital to be aware of. It's intended to give hospital staff an idea of how much help you may need during your time there.

If your local doctor refers you for treatment in hospital, they should talk about any specific needs you may have with hospital staff, for example, medication.

If you are normally cared for at home, you may like to include that person when you talk to hospital staff.

Hospital Passport

If you have a learning disability, 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.

• Communication support for deaf people

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 the hospital may not be able to give
• being able to have someone present at certain times, for example, a carer
• easy access to facilities, for example, bathrooms and toilets
• being able to enjoy TV or radio, for example, using a fixed loop or subtitles

Benefits and financial support

If you are going into hospital you should immediately tell the Department for Communities and if necessary, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive office that deals with your claims for Housing Benefit.

This is important as in most cases any benefit entitlement will have to 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.

Leaving hospital

As with going into hospital, the arrangements to leave hospital, the 'discharge plan', should follow a standard procedure.

Discharge plans

Every hospital should have its own policy and arrangements for discharging patients. This is especially important if you need ongoing care. The care you may need could be extra, or different, to support you have received in the past.

A named nurse or ward-based care coordinator will be responsible for you leaving hospital.

The hospital should also arrange transport for you if necessary.

The hospital should get in touch with your local doctor to tell them of your status, or that of your child.

If you have received a recent disability, or have given birth to a child with disabilities, the hospital will automatically tell local social services so that support can be put in place.

You should be given information about the disability and about possible relevant organisations and support groups, as well as information about entitlement to any benefits and how to get support and equipment.

If you are a carer of someone who is leaving hospital, you may, if requested, be involved in the discharge process, with the consent of the patient.

Other things to think about when leaving hospital

Other things to think about when leaving hospital include:

• letting your local doctor know, especially if there are changes in the nature of your disability or if your disability is new
• finding out about financial support you may be entitled to

Having an 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 for 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, the existing services may simply need reinstating 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.

Assessments

Following the assessment there are a number of possible care options including:

• 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.

• Supported housing and care homes
• Care and support

Health Service continuing (long-term) care

Continuing care can include both health and social care.

Fully-funded Health Service 'continuing care' is a package of care arranged and funded by the Health Service.

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.

'Continuing health and social care' is a package of care that involves services from both the Health Service and social care.

If you meet your strategic health authority's criteria for Health Service continuing care, 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 as a result 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 local doctor (GP).

Hospital stays and your benefits

Going into hospital may affect any benefits you receive, including:

• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• Disability Living Allowance
• Attendance Allowance

If someone receives Carer's Allowance because they are caring for you, this may also be affected if you go into hospital.

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.

• Disability Living Allowance for adults

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.

• Disability Living Allowance for children

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. You can report a change of circumstance by going to your Universal Credit home page.

Reporting hospital stays

You must tell the relevant Jobs and Benefits office at the Department for Communities as soon as you go into or come out of hospital.

You must also tell them if someone you get benefit for goes into or comes out of hospital.

• Jobs and Benefits offices 
• Disability and Carers Service 

Getting support

Keeping in touch with other people who have disabilities can be a good way of getting informal advice and support.

You can get to know other people with disabilities through local support groups, disability organisations and charities, or online disability forums.

At a local level

Your local council website may list local organisations and groups offering support to people with disabilities. 

Other places you may find out about local disability groups include:

• noticeboards at your local library or community centre
• through your doctor's surgery
• through your local hospital

Support organisations for people with specific needs

Getting involved with a charity or other organisation that supports people with your specific disability or medical condition can be a good way of meeting people and getting advice.

Some national organisations have a network of local offices that offer support services and organise social activities for members.

Some charities for specific disabilities have online forums where you can chat with other people with the same disability.

Many also have magazines and other publications you can subscribe to.

Some organisations have a helpline you can call or access by textphone for specialist advice about your disability. This could be especially useful if you are newly disabled or concerned about how your disability may affect important decisions, such as starting a family or returning to work.

Organisations for people who are blind or visually impaired

• British Computer Association of the Blind  
• Guide Dogs for the Blind Association
• Glaucoma UK 
• RNIB National Library Service 
• Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) 
• Sense 

Organisations for people who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus

• RNID
• British Deaf Association 
• Hearing Dogs for Deaf People 
• National Association of Deafened People 
• National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) 
• Sense 
• Sign Station 

Organisations for people with mental health difficulties

• Alzheimer's Society 
• Northern Ireland Association for Mental Health 
• SANE 

Organisations for people with communication difficulties

• National Autistic Society 

Organisations for people with education and training difficulties

• Down's Syndrome Association 

Organisations for people with physical disabilities

• Arthritis Care 
• Shine (formerly the Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus ASBAH) 
• Go Kids Go 
• Motability 
• Motor Neurone Disease Association
• Multiple Sclerosis Society Northern Ireland 
• Muscular Dystrophy Campaign 
• Stroke Association Northern Ireland 
• Whizz-Kidz 

Organisations working with all people with disabilities

• Disability Action 

Online disability forums and message boards

Some organisations run internet discussion boards, forums and chatrooms specifically for people with disabilities. Examples include:

Ouch! (the BBC's disability website), has message boards for general chat, advice on disability issues, and questions and answers.

You'reable is a community-based website for people with disabilities hosting a range of discussion forums on topics including benefits, motoring, health, relationships and equipment

More useful links

• Mental health 
• Disability Discrimination (Equality Commission NI website)
• Benefits and financial support 
• British Dyslexia Association
• Northern Ireland Rare Disease Partnership