A critical step in post-operative care is ensuring a safe discharge from hospital and that appropriate follow-up is arranged. The patient should be aware of their follow­ up plan and what to expect at the time of their discharge, ideally in a written format. They should also be educated on signs of potential late complications and advised on the appropriate action to take if they experience these. Allied health profession­als who have been involved in the patient’s care such as physiotherapy and occupa­tional therapy should be similarly satised that the patient is safe to be discharged from an acute care facility. There should be an agreed discharge destination which is deemed appropriate by the medical team, allied health care professionals and the patient themselves. While this is often directly to their home, some patients may benet from a brief period of further recovery in a transitional stepdown setting such a rehabilitation or convalescence facility. The patient and/or their carers should be advised on specic aspects of continued recovery once discharged, in particular wound care, physiotherapy exercise regimens and dietary intake. Dependent on the procedure, the patient may require several weeks of post-operative pharmacological VTE prophylaxis, and they should receive education on this prior to discharge. Again dependent on the procedure, input and training by dedicated stoma care nurse specialists or interventional radiology nurses may be required prior to discharge to ensure patients can independently manage stomas or indwelling percutaneous drains. Finally, the patient should be furnished with an appropriate prescription, ensuring adequate analgesia and including nutritional supplementation as required.