Template Questions
All 9 Discharge Survey Questions
Nine questions focused specifically on the discharge experience, not the overall hospital stay. That distinction matters. A patient can have an excellent clinical experience and still leave confused about their medications or unsure who to call if something goes wrong. This template captures those gaps before they turn into readmissions.
Question 2 (confidence going home) is the most important readmission predictor. Question 7 (concerns addressed before leaving) is your key patient safety indicator. Both should go into your clinical governance dashboard.
📋 NHS note: This template is a supplementary discharge survey, not a substitute for the Friends and Family Test. Run both: the FFT for compliance, and this template for actionable discharge quality data. Response rates drop below 20% after 72 hours, so send within 24 to 48 hours of discharge.
01How clearly were your discharge instructions explained before you left hospital?Scale 1–5
02How confident do you feel about managing your care and recovery at home?Scale 1–5
03How clearly were your medications and how to take them explained to you?Scale 1–5
04How well were your follow-up appointments or referrals arranged before you left?Scale 1–5
05How well did staff support you with transport, equipment, or care at home arrangements?Scale 1–5
06How would you rate the overall quality of care you received during your stay?Scale 1–5
07Were all your questions and concerns properly addressed before you left?Scale 1–5
08How likely are you to recommend this ward or hospital to family or friends?NPS 0–10
09Is there anything specific about your discharge that we could have handled better?Open Text
What This Survey Measures
Three Areas of Discharge Quality
Information
Discharge instructions, medication clarity, and what to do if things go wrong. Questions 1, 3. The foundation of safe discharge.
Readiness
Confidence going home, follow-up arrangements, and care logistics. Questions 2, 4, 5. The primary readmission predictors.
Safety
Concerns addressed before leaving and overall care quality. Questions 6, 7. The clinical governance dimensions.
How It Works
Simple to Deploy, Immediately Actionable
1
Use This Template
Add your ward or hospital name. Send the link via text within 24 to 48 hours of discharge.
2
Review by ward
Dashboard shows scores by question. Q2 and Q7 are your primary safety signals to monitor monthly.
3
Close the loop
Share results in ward meetings. Present to clinical governance with specific improvement actions. Resurvey at 90 days.
Sample Results
Your Discharge Quality Dashboard
After 88 patients responded following discharge from a general medical ward, the medication explanation and transport support scores were the clear gaps. A pharmacist-led discharge medication review introduced the following month lifted Q3 scores by 0.9 points over the next quarter:
Patient Discharge Survey · 88 responsesGeneral Medical Ward · Q1 2026
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Confident going home
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Instructions clear
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Recommend
Discharge instructions clear3.9 / 5
Confident going home3.7 / 5
Medications explained3.1 / 5
Follow-up arranged4.2 / 5
Concerns addressed3.8 / 5
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this patient discharge survey template free?
Yes. Free forever with no signup from you or your patients. Up to 100 responses free. Pro ($19/month) allows 10,000 responses and ward-by-ward trend tracking.
How is this different from a general patient satisfaction survey?
A general patient satisfaction survey covers the whole admission: communication, treatment, environment, and staff attitudes. This template focuses specifically on the discharge process: instruction clarity, medication explanation, confidence going home, and follow-up arrangements. These are the factors that most directly affect whether a patient recovers well at home or comes back in within 30 days.
Can NHS trusts use this for Friends and Family Test purposes?
This is a supplementary discharge survey, not a substitute for the mandatory FFT. Run both: the FFT for compliance, this template for actionable discharge quality data. The two questions cover similar ground but this template gives you the dimension detail needed to improve specific processes.
When should we send this survey?
Within 24 to 48 hours of discharge. Response rates are 35 to 50 percent in that window and drop to under 20 percent after 72 hours. Send via text message to the mobile number recorded on admission. For patients without a mobile number, a paper version using this framework can be handed out at discharge.
What is a 30-day readmission and how does this survey help?
A 30-day readmission is when a patient returns to hospital within 30 days of discharge, often due to inadequate discharge planning or unclear home care instructions. Question 2 (confidence going home) and Question 3 (medications explained) are the strongest predictors. Improving scores on both through better discharge processes is one of the most effective ways to reduce avoidable readmissions.
Should this survey be anonymous?
Yes for general discharge quality data. Anonymous surveys produce more candid feedback about gaps in instructions or arrangements. For cases where you want to follow up on specific concerns, non-anonymous mode allows optional contact collection with patient consent. Never link negative responses to identifiable patients without their explicit consent.
Can carers complete this on behalf of the patient?
Yes. For patients unable to complete it themselves, a carer or family member can respond on their behalf. This is particularly important for elderly patients, those with dementia, and paediatric patients whose parents are often best placed to assess whether discharge arrangements were adequate.
Can community and intermediate care services use this?
Yes. The template works for acute wards, community hospitals, day surgery, intermediate care, and rehabilitation units. Adjust the introduction to match your setting and replace "hospital" with your service name as appropriate.
What questions should a patient discharge survey include?
A good patient discharge survey covers: how clearly discharge instructions were explained, how confident patients feel managing their care at home, how well medications were explained, whether follow-up appointments were arranged before leaving, support with transport or logistics, overall quality of care during the admission, whether any concerns were addressed before discharge, and whether patients would recommend the ward or hospital. This template covers all nine dimensions.
How is a patient discharge survey different from a general patient satisfaction survey?
A general patient satisfaction survey measures the overall care relationship: communication across the whole stay, treatment quality, staff attitudes, and environment. A patient discharge survey focuses specifically on the transition from hospital to home. The questions are about discharge instructions, medication clarity, confidence going home, and follow-up arrangements. These are the factors that most affect whether a patient recovers well and whether they need to be readmitted.
Can NHS trusts use this survey for Friends and Family Test purposes?
The Friends and Family Test (FFT) is a specific NHS England requirement and has a defined question format. This template is a supplementary discharge-focused survey that gives you more detailed insight than the FFT alone. The recommendation question (Q8) covers similar ground to the FFT, but this template should not be used as a substitute for the mandatory FFT. Run both: the FFT for compliance, this survey for actionable discharge quality data.
When should hospitals send the patient discharge survey?
Within 24 to 48 hours of discharge while the experience is fresh and any gaps in instructions or arrangements are still apparent. Send via text message to the mobile number recorded on admission. Response rates for discharge surveys sent within 24 hours are typically 35 to 50 percent, dropping to under 20 percent after 72 hours.
Should patient discharge surveys be anonymous?
For general discharge quality data, yes. Anonymous surveys produce more candid responses about problems with instructions, medication explanations, or discharge arrangements. For cases where you want to follow up on unresolved concerns or near-misses identified in the survey, non-anonymous mode allows optional contact collection with patient consent. Never link specific negative responses to identifiable patients without their explicit consent.
What is a 30-day readmission and how does this survey help reduce it?
A 30-day readmission is when a patient returns to hospital within 30 days of discharge, often due to inadequate discharge planning or unclear home care instructions. Studies consistently show that poor discharge instruction clarity and low confidence going home are the primary predictors of unplanned readmission. Improving scores on Question 2 (confidence going home) and Question 3 (medication explanation) through better discharge processes is one of the most effective ways to reduce avoidable readmissions.
Can this survey be used for community and intermediate care services?
Yes. The template works for any care setting where patients are discharged home or to a step-down facility: acute hospital wards, community hospitals, day surgery, intermediate care, rehabilitation units, and mental health inpatient units. Adjust the introduction to match your specific setting and replace 'hospital' with your service name as appropriate.
How do I use discharge survey data to improve patient safety?
Focus on Questions 2 (confidence going home) and 7 (concerns addressed before leaving). Consistently low scores on confidence going home indicate that discharge planning is starting too late or that written instructions are not being provided or explained clearly. Low scores on concerns addressed suggest that patients are leaving with unresolved questions, which is a patient safety risk. Both dimensions should be reviewed in clinical governance meetings and linked to readmission data.
Can carers and family members complete this survey on behalf of the patient?
Yes. For patients who are unable to complete the survey themselves due to age, cognitive impairment, or health condition, a carer or family member can complete it on their behalf. This is particularly important for elderly patients, those with dementia, and paediatric patients whose parents are often better placed to assess whether discharge arrangements were adequate and clearly explained.
What is discharge planning and why does it matter for survey scores?
Discharge planning is the process of preparing a patient to leave hospital safely, including arranging any ongoing care, equipment, medications, follow-up appointments, and written instructions. It should begin on or before admission, not on the day of discharge. Hospitals that start discharge planning early consistently score higher on patient confidence, instruction clarity, and follow-up arrangement questions. The survey data can identify which wards or services are leaving discharge planning too late.
Catch the gaps before patients go home
9 questions. Safe discharge evidence. Clinical governance ready.
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