Healthcare / Free editable template

Hospital discharge process swimlane template

A discharge swimlane shows who does what on the day a patient goes home, so delays at each handover are easier to spot. This example puts the ward doctor, ward nurse, pharmacy, discharge coordinator and family in their own lanes, from the ward round decision to TTOs, transport and the patient leaving the ward.

This is a planning example for process improvement, not clinical guidance. Follow your organisation's policies and clinical protocols.

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Hospital discharge process swimlane example showing five lanes from ward doctor to family, ready-to-leave decision with a not-yet path, tto, transport and final-check handovers
Everything in this example is editable. Replace the labels, move the shapes and adapt the layout to your work.

How to use this template

  1. Name the lanes you have

    Rename the lanes for the roles on your ward. Add a lane for therapy, social care or a discharge lounge if they take part, because a step with no clear owner is usually the one that waits.

  2. Put the handovers in order

    Trace one recent discharge and move the boxes to match what happened and roughly when. Seeing that TTOs were requested after transport was booked tells you more than a general complaint about delays.

  3. Add the times that matter

    Write the time each handover usually happens beside it, such as when the summary is written or the TTO reaches pharmacy. Those times give the team a baseline to improve against.

Questions about this template

Can I add lanes for therapy or social care?

Yes. Copy an existing lane, rename it and move the handover boxes into it, so every step on the discharge has a clear owner.

Do I need an account to use it?

No. Open the template and edit it in your browser. Your work saves on this device. An account is optional if you want to sync your workspace.

Can I export the finished diagram?

Yes. Use Export in the editor to save a PNG, SVG or PDF, or download an editable .epicdraw backup.

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