Stage 1 Review
Project Discharge Drivers (Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust) By Kate Crossan
- Title Discharge Drivers (Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust)
- Setting Hospital
- Objective To support the discharge of patients, by improving efficiency of discharge once they are medically able to leave hospital through a volunteer driver role, and by providing a telephone follow-up service to identify post-discharge issues or concerns.
Beneficiaries
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Service User
Able to leave hospital more quickly; reassurance from follow-up call.
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Families & Carers
Relief of pressure around getting family member home.
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Staff
Confidence that patients are being supported in their discharge.
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Volunteers
Gain skills and confidence in a worthwhile volunteer role.
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Organisation
Support of hospital flow; increased efficiency of discharge.
Audiences
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Senior Leadership
To show impact on flow, patient experience and potentially value for money, to make the case for sustaining and scaling the programme.
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Donor / funder
Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB. To show impact on flow, patient experience and potentially value for money, to make the case for sustaining and scaling the programme.
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Volunteers
To demonstrate the impact they are having through their role, and to support with recruitment of further volunteers.
Review Design
Project Discharge Drivers (Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust) By Kate Crossan
Outcome model
Data model
Data Collection Dashboard
Project Discharge Drivers (Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust) By Kate Crossan
This project has now completed. Please navigate to the 'Evaluate' page.
Evaluation Dashboard
Project Discharge Drivers (Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust) By Kate Crossan
Evaluation findings - November 2025
The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, in partnership with Helpforce, developed a discharge volunteer driver service transporting patients from the Royal Shrewsbury (RSH) and Princess Royal Hospitals (PRH) who qualify for hospital transport as a ‘1PC’ (i.e., are able to mobilise independently). The service also supports those who do not qualify for non-emergency hospital transport who cannot get home by themselves or face long waits to be collected.
Volunteer discharge drivers also perform a ‘settling in service’ to check that patients have access to water, electricity and heating in their homes along with a working mobile phone or landline. The service also delivers medications, equipment and discharge letters.
