Osmosis video - Admissions, transfers and discharges

Admissions, transfers, and discharges (ATD) are the three types of movement of patients within a hospital.

Admission is when a patient is first admitted to the hospital. This could be because they have been referred by their General Practitioner (GP), or they may have come to the hospital themselves through the Emergency Department.

A transfer is when a patient moves from one area of the hospital to another � for example, from A&E to a ward.

Discharge happens when a patient leaves the hospital � because they are transferring to another type of care such as going home or moving into a hospice.