Aftercare on discharge home

Premature babies, sick newborns and older children are often hospitalised for several weeks. Specialists from various professional groups are on the ward every day/around the clock and are available to provide medical, nursing, psychological and socio-legal care for the child and the family.

At home, this specialised team no longer exists in all its facets and to the same extent. Many families feel left alone and are often completely overwhelmed by the new situation. Questions about care and support arise that midwives or paediatricians are not always able to answer. Financial, legal and socio-educational questions or unexpected consequences for the family also often arise or first appear in everyday life at home.

In accordance with § 43 Para. 2 SGB V, parents of seriously ill children (up to the age of 14, in exceptional cases up to the age of 18) are entitled to social-medical aftercare directly after an inpatient hospitalisation.

Our aftercare centre works primarily at the interface between inpatient and outpatient care. Our aftercare team enables a smooth transition from intensive inpatient treatment to outpatient care.

We want to give our patients and their families a sense of security and facilitate the transfer to their own four walls. We want to build a bridge and accompany the families at home for some time (usually 6-12 weeks) until everything is working well again. The family has a familiar contact person who accompanies, supports and advises them in the difficult initial situation. In this way, we help you to gain confidence in everyday life at home. To this end, we work closely with your paediatrician, nursing services, midwives and social institutions and ensure smooth networking.

Our interdisciplinary team consists of staff from various professions at the Clinic for Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Discharge planning by our team begins during the inpatient stay so that the family already knows their contact person well before discharge. This creates security and trust.

We work according to the model of the Bunter Kreis Deutschland e.V. federal association for social-medical aftercare.