Hospital discharge letter: who will follow up results that are still pending?

When you leave hospital after a stay of more than 24 hours, you receive a discharge handover letter with information needed for continuity of care. The team must make sure you understand it. Ask about any terms or instructions that remain unclear before returning home.

The letter identifies the hospital stay, hospital clinician, usual doctor and, where relevant, the referring clinician. It summarises the reason for admission and the main events of the stay. Check that you know which team to contact with a question about this document.

Some results may still be pending on the day of discharge and must be noted in the letter. Ask who will receive them, who will explain them and how you will be contacted. HAS guidance provides for missing results to be sent to the usual doctor after discharge.

Find the next steps: procedures already planned or still to arrange, specific monitoring and any medical or social support needs. For follow-up appointments, ask which are already booked and which you need to organise. Keep these instructions with your document.

The letter must also be sent on discharge day to your usual doctor and, where relevant, the referring clinician, by a method that protects confidentiality. Ask which recipients the team has recorded and keep your own copy for the next stage of care.

If you do not have the document or a pending result remains unexplained, contact the hospital team that cared for you to clarify its transmission. Also ask whom to call if a problem arises after you return home. These contacts support the follow-up instructions for your situation.