There is an ever-increasing demand for hospital beds within the acute sector, and more and more patients require in-patient services each year. Trusts across the UK are challenged with finding ways to become more efficient, effective and responsive effectively, to do more with less. This is especially the case when it comes to discharge practices, with improvements featuring as a key indicator on many local and national health care agendas, and a real need to get patients back into the community as quickly and safely as possible. Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, serving a community of over 600,000 people across two hospitals and 1,100 beds, looked at ways in which they could make real improvements to the final part of the patient in-hospital journey. NEED FOR SPEED With an

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