The first days after discharge
Home visitHospital to home
Hospital discharge support is private medical and nursing care in the first days after you leave hospital. We help with medications, wound care, mobility and check-ins so you are not left to figure it out alone.
This is not an emergency service. If someone has chest pain, stroke signs, severe breathing difficulty, heavy bleeding or collapse, call 999 or go to A&E. We work alongside the NHS, not instead of it.
Coming home from hospital is when families feel most exposed. The ward had a bell. The house does not. Hospital-to-home is private medical and nursing care for those first days: medicines that arrived in a bag, a wound that still needs a nurse, mobility that is worse than anyone admitted, and a clinician who will visit rather than hoping the GP surgery has a slot.
This is planned recovery, not an ambulance. If someone is still on the floor, cannot breathe, or you think a hip is broken, call 999. If they are home, tired, and the family is guessing, that is our job.
A discharge package can be a single GP visit, a run of nurse visits, physiotherapy, or virtual-ward style check-ins. Falls prevention sits here because the first fall after discharge is often the one that sends people back in. We quote after we know what the hospital actually sent you home with, not from a slogan.
Services in this family
These are the visits we actually book. Each page says who it is for, what happens, who delivers the care, and the from-price.
Hospital Discharge Support
The first week home is when readmissions happen. We own that week: clinical review within 24 hours, nurse visits, and daily care support.
Recovery & Post-Surgery Care
Structured recovery at home after surgery or illness — wound checks, medication support, personal care and rehabilitation working together.
Rehabilitation & Physiotherapy at Home
Physiotherapist-led rehabilitation in your own home — rebuilding strength, confidence and independence after surgery, illness or a fall.
Virtual Ward at Home
Hospital-level oversight from your living room: monitoring kit at home, twice-daily readings, and a clinical team watching.
Falls Prevention Assessment
A physiotherapist works out why the falls are happening — and builds a practical plan to prevent the next one.
Who this is for
- A parent or partner has a discharge date and nobody at home knows the medicines
- Wounds, catheters, mobility or oxygen were part of the admission
- You are the adult child arranging the first week and you need a named team, not a leaflet
- There has already been a fall or a near miss since coming home
When this is not the right service
- Someone who should not have been discharged and is deteriorating now — call 999 or go back to A&E
- Live-in care as a surprise add-on at the door — that needs a proper needs conversation
- A replacement for NHS rehabilitation or a Trust reablement package you already have
How we arrange care
1. Start before or just after discharge
A family member can call us with the discharge summary if the patient agrees. The more we know about wounds, medicines and mobility, the less we guess.
2. The first visit sets the plan
A GP, ANP, nurse or physiotherapist, depending on the job. We look at the house as it is, not the house in the leaflet.
3. We date the next check
Virtual-ward style check-ins, a nurse, or a GP. If going home is no longer safe, we will say so rather than stacking visits to avoid the conversation.
Who delivers your care
GMC-registered GPs, registered nurses, advanced nurse practitioners and physiotherapists, working to one plan. Personal carers can be added for washing and nights. They do not replace clinicians.
Working alongside the NHS
Keep your NHS follow-up appointments, district nurses and consultants. We cover the gap between the ward and the next NHS contact. We share notes with your NHS GP when you ask. We do not cancel NHS rehab to sell a private package.
Where we cover
Discharge support covers Lurgan, Craigavon, Portadown and nearby villages, with Banbridge, Lisburn, Armagh and Dungannon arranged subject to travel and availability. If the hospital is in Belfast and the house is in Lurgan, say so. Travel is confirmed before we visit.
Pricing
Hospital-to-home services are coming soon and will be quoted after the first assessment. If a doctor is the right first step now, GP home visits start from £255. Confirm the from-price before we set out.
Who we are, and how this is governed
Friends Medical GP is the GP and care-at-home face of Friends Medical Service, based at Southside Healthcare, 41 High Street, Lurgan, BT66 8AH. GPs are GMC-registered. Nursing staff are registered nurses. Care staff are AccessNI-checked. The Lurgan site holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001. Patient reviews on Doctify currently sit at 4.95 from 404 reviews. Domiciliary care and nursing agencies in Northern Ireland are regulated by RQIA. We only promote nurse visits, personal care, live-in and palliative care at home where the correct registration is in place. Current registration details are on our regulation page, and we will not over-claim what is still being confirmed.
Clinical governance, AccessNI, indemnity and the current RQIA position are published on ourregulation page. Health information you send us is handled under ourprivacy notice. The clinic address is Southside Healthcare, 41 High Street, Lurgan, BT66 8AH. Call 028 9621 1981.
Related care
- Nursing at home — Wounds and catheters after discharge are nurse jobs.
- Personal and live-in care — If nights at home are the problem, a GP visit will not be enough on its own.
- GP and clinician visits — A doctor at the door for the medical review the ward could not finish.
Common questions
Can you meet us at the hospital?
Usually we start at the house, with the discharge summary. If you need a conversation before the discharge date, request a call back and we will tell you what we can arrange.
Do you replace the Trust reablement team?
No. Keep NHS reablement if it is offered. We add private visits when the Trust package is not enough, or not yet started, and the family cannot wait.
What if we think the discharge was too soon?
Say so. A clinician can assess at home. If the person needs hospital, we send them there. We will not dress up an unsafe discharge as a premium package.
Who books this — the patient or the family?
A family member can enquire. The person being seen should consent. We will not examine someone who has refused.
Trust
Friends Medical GP
Part of Friends Medical Service. GMC-registered GPs. Doctify 4.95 from 404 reviews. ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001 at the Lurgan site.
Ready to book your GP appointment?
Same-day and next-day private GP appointments in Lurgan from £70, or a clinician at home if you cannot travel.