Sending children home on tracheostomy dependent ventilation: pitfalls and outcomes.

In spite of the consistency of the primary discharge coordinator in our practice and attempts to streamline the process, the obstacles to discharge highlighted five years ago remain frustratingly similar. The children in this survey spent an average of 9.6 months extra time in hospital awaiting discharge at considerable cost to the local commissioning teams, quite apart from the emotional cost to the child and stress for the whole family. We hope in future years this review will enable health practitioners and local health providers to anticipate the hurdles, address the problems early, and expedite the process of discharging home children who are dependent on long term ventilation via tracheostomy.