Compassionate Discharge (ComD)

Compassionate discharge is a special arrangement to transfer a dying patient out of hospital to spend final days and die at home.

It is good practice to proactively discuss about patients’ preferred place of death to facilitate early discharge planning and care coordination in the event that they turn terminally ill.

• Patient
  • Expressed desire to die at home
  • Prognosis is short hours or less than 7 days
  • Goal of care is comfort. Not for further life-sustaining treatment
  • Symptoms and care needs are manageable at home

• Family/Caregiver
  • Is informed of patient’s estimated prognosis of short hours to short days
  • Understands that Compassionate discharge is to fulfil patient’s wish to die at home
  • Willing and able to provide care and manage symptoms at home (including if patient outlives prognosis) 
  • Able to cope emotionally
  • Accepts the risks of patient dying en-route home
  • For Coroner’s case: Agreeable to call Police (999) if death occurs at home

• Community Support
  • Availability of a home hospice team 
  • Family can consider private home care for medical support, and private nursing care for caregiving, if necessary, especially during weekends and after office hours.
  • For overseas compassionate discharges, contact your respective local specialist palliative care team for advice.  
    

Above information is adapted from SHC Compassionate discharge resources.