Multidisciplinary Team (MDT), Explained in Plain English

By Len Burgess, Senior Care Advisor · Published 29 May 2026

The Multidisciplinary Team: what it is, who is on it, and how to get the most out of it.

The latest post in our Jargon Buster series covers the term you will hear repeatedly if an elderly relative is being assessed for NHS Continuing Healthcare, planning to leave hospital, or being looked after for a complex condition like dementia. The Multidisciplinary Team: what it is, who is on it, and how to get the most out of it.


If your relative is in hospital, being assessed for NHS-funded care, or being looked after at home with complex needs, you will almost certainly come across the term MDT. You may be told that "the MDT will agree on the discharge plan," that "the MDT is meeting on Tuesday to discuss the CHC assessment," or that "the MDT will recommend the right care setting." It is often said quite casually by NHS and social care staff, as if everyone knows what it means, when in fact most families have no idea who is in the room, what they are deciding, or whether they are allowed to be there.


This guide closes that gap. We focus on the three situations where families looking for care for an elderly relative encounter MDTs most: in NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) assessments, in hospital discharge planning, and in community care planning for conditions like dementia, frailty, and end-of-life care.


A quick orientation note. The MDT we are explaining here is the healthcare and social care meaning, not the IT, training, or other meanings that share the same abbreviation.


So keep reading and get all the details


What is a Multidisciplinary Team?

A Multidisciplinary Team is a group of healthcare and social care professionals from different backgrounds who come together to plan and recommend treatment or care for one person.


The key idea is that no single doctor, nurse, or social worker has all the relevant expertise for a complex case. An older person being assessed for NHS Continuing Healthcare needs input from both health and social care professionals.


Someone being discharged from the hospital after a fall or stroke needs input from a doctor, a nurse, a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist, and often a social worker. Someone living with dementia needs input from a memory clinic specialist, a community matron, and sometimes a mental health professional. The MDT exists so that those people can reach a joint recommendation.


A few essentials to lock in:



Despite the way it is often described, an MDT is not a single fixed thing. It is a meeting format adopted across the NHS and social care system: in CHC assessments, hospital discharge, dementia care, end-of-life care, and other areas.


How does an MDT actually work?

The general structure of an MDT process is broadly the same across most settings, even though the people in the room and the type of decision being made vary.


Step 1: Referral. A case is referred to the relevant MDT, usually by a consultant, specialist nurse, GP, or social worker. For CHC, the MDT is convened after a Checklist screening suggests the person may be eligible. For hospital discharge, the MDT is triggered when the medical team agrees the person is ready to leave but needs a coordinated plan to do so safely.


Step 2: Preparation. Before the meeting, each professional reviews the relevant records: medical notes, care plans, social work assessments, therapy reports, and family input.


Step 3: The meeting. The MDT sits down (often now on Microsoft Teams) and works through the case. Each person contributes their perspective: the doctor on clinical status, the nurse on day-to-day care, the physiotherapist on mobility, the occupational therapist on safety at home, the social worker on the family environment, and the family on day-to-day reality. A recommendation is agreed upon.


Step 4: The recommendation. The MDT produces a written recommendation. For CHC, it is an eligibility recommendation supported by the completed Decision Support Tool. For hospital discharge, it is a plan covering where the person will go (home, home with care, residential or nursing care, rehabilitation), what support they will need, and when they can move.


Step 5: The family is told. The recommendation is explained to the person and their family by the lead clinician, the discharge coordinator, or the CHC assessor. You can ask questions, request more information, or ask for the recommendation to be reviewed.


An important point worth knowing. MDTs are increasingly designed to focus on the most complex cases, with simpler situations handled through standard pathways. So if your relative's care plan is being agreed without a formal MDT meeting, it does not mean their case is being neglected. It may mean their situation is straightforward enough to follow established protocols.


Who is generally on the MDT?

A typical NHS Continuing Healthcare MDT must include at least two professionals from different disciplines, and in practice usually includes a nurse assessor (often employed by the local ICB, who leads the meeting), a social worker, and often also a GP or other doctor, specialist nurses (such as a dementia nurse or community matron), physiotherapists or occupational therapists, the care home manager or a senior member of staff who knows the person well, and the person being assessed and their family, who can and should attend.


A typical hospital discharge MDT for an older patient usually includes the ward consultant or registrar (the medical view on readiness to leave), a senior ward nurse (the nursing care perspective), a physiotherapist (mobility, balance, and falls risk), an occupational therapist (safety at home, equipment, and adaptations), a discharge coordinator who pulls the plan together, and a social worker, particularly where care at home or a care home placement is needed. Sometimes a speech and language therapist, a dietitian, a pharmacist, or a mental health practitioner is involved too.


A typical community MDT for someone living at home with dementia, frailty, or complex needs usually includes the GP or a senior practice nurse, a community matron or district nurse, sometimes a dementia specialist nurse or Admiral Nurse, the involved therapists, and the social worker if the person has a social care package.


Each member brings something specific. The doctor brings clinical judgment. The nurse brings day-to-day understanding. The therapist brings practical insight into mobility, safety, and adaptation. The social worker brings the broader picture of what is happening at home and what care is realistically available. The combination is the point.


How does this apply to me?

These are the five questions families ask most often when an elderly relative is involved with an MDT.


1. Who is actually on the MDT for my relative?

There is no fixed set of members for every MDT. The team is built around the situation. A CHC MDT will include at least a nurse assessor and a social worker, often with a GP, specialist nurses, therapists, and the care home manager. A hospital discharge MDT will typically include a consultant or ward doctor, a senior nurse, a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist, a discharge coordinator, and often a social worker. A community MDT for dementia or frailty might include a GP, community matron, dementia nurse, and the involved therapists.


The MDT is assembled for the situation. If you are unsure who is on the MDT discussing your relative's case, you can ask. You are entitled to know who is making recommendations about their care.


2. What happens at and after an MDT meeting?

At the meeting, your relative's case is presented and discussed. The clinical position, care needs, home or care setting, and family circumstances are all considered. A recommendation is agreed and recorded formally.


After the meeting, the outcome is shared with you. For a CHC MDT, the outcome is the completed Decision Support Tool and the eligibility recommendation, which then goes to the ICB for sign-off.


For a hospital discharge MDT, the outcome is the discharge plan: where your relative will go, what support they will need, and when they can leave. Your lead clinician, social worker, or discharge coordinator should explain it to you in person, answer your questions, and discuss next steps.


You can request a copy of the MDT outcome notes. They are part of the medical or care record, and you are entitled to see them.


3. Why is my relative's case being referred to an MDT, and does that mean something is wrong?

Being discussed at an MDT does not necessarily mean things are worse than expected. It usually means the opposite: that the situation needs input from more than one specialist or service to get the plan right, which is the safer and more thorough approach.


For CHC, the MDT meeting is when eligibility is assessed in full, using the Decision Support Tool. It is a significant step but a normal and necessary part of the process. For hospital discharge, an MDT is convened because leaving the hospital safely needs a coordinated plan covering medical, nursing, mobility, home safety, and social care; one person cannot put that together alone.


For community care, an MDT may be convened when needs are escalating, and the existing arrangement no longer fits.


If you are unsure why your relative's case is being referred, ask. The lead clinician, ward nurse, or assessor should be able to tell you in plain terms what the MDT is being asked to consider.


4. Am I allowed to attend the MDT meeting?

This depends on the type of MDT, and it is one of the most important things to clarify upfront.


For NHS Continuing Healthcare MDTs, you can and should attend. CHC MDT meetings are about your relative's needs, and the decision affects whether the NHS will pay for their care. Your input is genuinely valuable to the discussion: there are details about day-to-day care that simply will not appear in the records, and the family voice often makes the difference in the decision.


Many families do not realise they are entitled to attend; if your relative has a CHC assessment coming up, ask the assessor about attending, and consider bringing an advocate (free help is available from Beacon CHC, Age UK, and Citizens Advice).


For hospital discharge MDTs and community MDTs, you are usually not in the meeting itself. The team meets to consider the case, and then the outcome is discussed with you and your relative directly afterwards.


You can and should ask to be involved in the conversation that follows, and you can ask for a meeting with the discharge coordinator or social worker to discuss the plan in detail before any decisions are finalised.


Whether you attend or not, you remain entitled to a clear explanation of the recommendation, the reasoning behind it, and the right to ask questions, request changes, or appeal where there is a process to do so.


5. What if I disagree with what the MDT recommended?

You have several options. The first and simplest is to ask for a full explanation from the lead clinician, social worker, or discharge coordinator. Often, what looks like disagreement turns out to be a misunderstanding of what was being recommended and why.


If you still disagree, the route forward depends on the situation. For CHC MDT recommendations, there is a formal appeals process. If you disagree with a "not eligible" decision, you can ask for a Local Resolution review by the ICB, and if that does not resolve it, escalate to an Independent Review Panel run by NHS England. We cover both in our other guides.


For hospital discharge MDT recommendations, you can ask for the plan to be reviewed if you believe it is unsafe or unsuitable. Hospital discharge teams are under significant pressure to free up beds, which can sometimes lead to plans being rushed. You can ask for the discharge to be delayed while concerns are addressed, request a different care setting, or ask for additional support to be added. If discussions break down, you can complain through the hospital's Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).


For community MDTs, raise your disagreement with the GP or lead professional, and ask for the plan to be reconsidered. If a social care decision is involved, your local council has its own complaints process.


An MDT recommendation is not the last word. It is a recommendation, made by experienced professionals, that you are entitled to question, understand, and challenge where you believe it is wrong.


The takeaway

The Multidisciplinary Team is one of the most useful concepts in modern healthcare and social care, but also one of the most opaque to families. The basic principle is sound: complex decisions are better made by groups of specialists working together than by any single professional working alone. The challenge is that families often find themselves on the receiving end of those decisions with very little understanding of how they were reached.


Three things genuinely help. Ask who is on the MDT for your relative's case, and what role each person plays. Ask for a copy of the MDT outcome notes after the meeting, because they are part of the medical or care record, and you are entitled to see them. And if a CHC MDT is being arranged, make sure you attend in person, bring written evidence, and consider an advocate. All of our other guides on CHC, the Decision Support Tool, the Independent Review Panel, and the Integrated Care Board cover the details of that process.


Our funding calculator can show you how a successful CHC outcome would affect the overall cost of care, alongside FNC, council funding, and other support.


This article is for general guidance only and reflects the way Multidisciplinary Teams operate in the NHS and social care system in England as of 2026. MDT structures differ between local areas, and the rules for CHC MDTs differ from those for hospital discharge or community MDTs. For tailored advice, contact your relative's lead clinician, the hospital discharge team, your local council's adult social care team, or, for CHC, your local ICB or Beacon CHC.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

How long does an MDT meeting take, and how soon will I hear the outcome?

This varies considerably by type of MDT. A hospital discharge MDT for one patient typically takes 15 to 30 minutes, often as part of a longer board round where several patients are discussed. You should usually hear the outcome the same day or the next morning, from the ward nurse, discharge coordinator, or social worker. A CHC MDT meeting is much longer, usually 2 to 4 hours for a single case, because it involves completing the full Decision Support Tool across 12 care domains. The MDT's recommendation is then forwarded to the Integrated Care Board for formal sign-off, and the written decision letter typically arrives within a few weeks. A community MDT for ongoing care planning is usually shorter again, often around an hour, with the outcome shared with you and your relative shortly afterwards. If you have not heard anything within a reasonable timeframe, chase the lead clinician or coordinator in writing.

Who is the best person for me to contact about the MDT?

This depends on the setting. For a hospital discharge MDT, your main point of contact is usually the discharge coordinator, the ward sister or the charge nurse. They can tell you when the MDT meeting is, what is being discussed, and what the outcome was. For a CHC MDT, your main contact is the nurse assessor who is leading the assessment, usually employed by your local ICB; they should give you their contact details well before the meeting. For a community MDT organised around a long-term condition, your contact is usually the GP, district nurse, or community matron leading the care. As a general rule, always ask for a named contact at the first sign that an MDT is being planned, and keep their contact details to hand. Decisions made in MDTs can move quickly, and being able to reach the right person directly is invaluable.

What evidence should I bring or send to an MDT discussion?

This question is particularly important for CHC MDTs, where the strength of the written evidence often determines the outcome. Useful evidence includes the current care plan, daily care notes from the last three to six months, recent GP records, consultant or specialist letters, medication charts, behaviour and incident logs (especially anything documenting falls, episodes of confusion, or distress), continence records, wound or pressure ulcer reports, and any therapy notes. If you are a family member, also prepare your own written record of how needs present day to day, including frequency and unpredictability, because the MDT will not see that anywhere else. For hospital discharge and community MDTs, you may not be in the room, but you can still send a written summary to the lead clinician or coordinator beforehand. A clear, dated written contribution from the family is often given real weight because it surfaces information the professionals cannot otherwise see.

Can I bring an advocate to a CHC MDT meeting?

Yes, and it is one of the most useful things you can do. An advocate is someone who attends to support you, help you contribute, and make sure your voice is heard during the meeting. They can be a family member, a friend, or a professional advocate, and you do not need anyone's permission to bring one. There are organisations that specialise in CHC advocacy and that will help completely free of charge: Beacon CHC is the best known, and Age UK and Citizens Advice also provide free advice and, in some cases, in-meeting support. For families who feel uncertain about challenging the framework, the language, or the proposed scores, a professional advocate makes a meaningful difference to the outcome. The cost of professional advocacy through paid services can be significant, so always check what free help is available first.

What happens to MDT recommendations after the meeting? Are they final?

MDT recommendations are not legally binding decisions, but they carry significant weight and are usually implemented. For a hospital discharge MDT, the recommendation becomes the discharge plan, and the hospital will work on it unless something materially changes (such as your relative's condition deteriorating, or unexpected issues with the care arrangements at home). For a CHC MDT, the recommendation goes to the Integrated Care Board for formal sign-off; the ICB usually accepts it but can, in rare cases, send it back for more work. For a community MDT, the recommendation becomes the new care plan, although it can be revised again at any point if circumstances change. In all three cases, the recommendation can be challenged through the appropriate route if you believe it is wrong: a formal appeal for CHC, a request for the discharge plan to be reviewed for hospital discharge, or a request to the GP or council for a fresh look at community care decisions. Recommendations are not the last word, but they are the working basis for what happens next.