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Hospital discharge teams & OT referrals
Bedflow — home preparation for safe discharge
A bespoke, specialist service — rare across the UK. We prepare homes so equipment can be delivered and installed, and patients can leave hospital on time, safely, and with dignity.
Preferred partner arrangements
Accelerated mobilisation for hospital discharge is available under preferred partner agreements. This is by prior arrangement only and is not offered as an open emergency service. If your hospital or trust wishes to engage a priority service, we are happy to discuss a preferred partner agreement — this would enable urgent cases to be completed at weekends and with faster turnarounds. Contact us to discuss commissioning options.
Why delayed discharge happens
When a patient is medically ready to go home but their property is not safe to return to, the discharge is delayed. Beds are held, wards are under pressure, and the patient waits — often anxious, often in a setting that is not right for them.
Bedflow exists to remove that barrier. We work directly with discharge teams, OTs, and bed managers to prepare the home before the patient leaves the ward — so the discharge can happen when the clinical team says it should.
The ward visit
Before we begin any work at the property, we visit the patient on the ward. We introduce ourselves, explain exactly what we will do, agree the plan with the patient, and take their signed consent. We never enter a patient's home without their knowledge and agreement.
The ward visit also gives us the opportunity to collect keys directly from the patient, carry out the work at the property, and return the keys before they are discharged — so the ward does not need to coordinate access separately.
What Bedflow includes
Equipment space preparation
We clear the space needed for hospital equipment — hoists, profiling beds, commodes, and mobility aids — so delivery and installation can proceed without delay.
Fridge and food clear
We clear out-of-date and unsafe food, clean the fridge, and ensure the kitchen is safe and functional for the patient's return.
Toilet and bathroom tidy
We ensure the bathroom and toilet are accessible and safe, removing hazards and clearing pathways.
Discharge team liaison
We communicate directly with the referring professional throughout, providing updates and flagging anything that affects the discharge plan.
Compassionate approach
We work with sensitivity and respect. The patient's home is their space — we treat it, and them, accordingly.
What happens after discharge
Bedflow is complete once the property is prepared, equipment installed, and the patient is back home — on time and safely.
If the patient requires further support — whether that is ongoing decluttering, hoarding intervention, or help managing their home environment in the longer term — we are well placed to continue. We can liaise directly with the local authority, social care team, or other agencies involved, and refer into our own hoarding and declutter service where appropriate.
This is an option available to the patient and their local authority to agree and assess — not an obligation on the ward or the commissioning team.
Any further support following discharge is arranged separately and does not form part of the NHS safe discharge plan. The ward's obligation ends when the patient is safely home.
CQC five key questions
Working with the NHS
We work regularly with NHS trusts, ICBs, and local authorities across our coverage area.
We carry full public liability insurance and hold DBS-checked staff. References are available on request.
Bedflow is not a social care referral — it is a practical, equipment-led intervention that generates documented evidence of person-centred, timely, and safe discharge practice across all five CQC key questions.
The cost of delayed discharge
There are now nearly 13,000 delayed discharges every day in England — close to one in ten of all hospital beds occupied by someone clinically fit to leave. The cost of a single bed day has reached £562, and the total bill has risen to £2.7 billion in 2025/26, according to King's Fund analysis.
For a patient waiting 21 days or more because their home is not ready, that is nearly £12,000 in bed costs alone — before the human cost is considered.
Bedflow is a fraction of that figure. Preparing the home is almost always cheaper than holding the bed.
Bedflow is typically a fraction of that figure. Preparing the home is almost always cheaper than holding the bed.
Bedflow
No coordination charge for Bedflow
Our Bedflow service is priced as a single, fixed package. There is no separate coordination charge applied to hospital discharge referrals. The ward visit, equipment space preparation, fridge clear, kitchen and toilet tidy, cupboard report, and discharge team liaison are all included in one straightforward quote — so there are no surprises for the commissioning team or the patient.
If you are referring a patient for ongoing hoarding and declutter support following discharge, a coordination charge will apply to that separate service in the usual way. We will always make this clear in the quote.
Make a Bedflow referral
Referrals can be made by any member of the discharge team — ward staff, OTs, discharge coordinators, bed managers, or social workers. You do not need a formal referral pathway; a phone call or email is enough to get started.
We review referrals within 1–2 working days and will contact you to discuss next steps and provide a quote.