WIREDGOV

Providing older people with a safe alternative to hospital.

The number of patients using Hospital at Home in Scotland rose by almost a quarter last year, it has been revealed, as funding allocations for NHS boards were announced.

A total of 13 local healthcare providers have been allocated a share of £3.6 million for Hospital at Home for older people to help ease pressure on frontline acute services.

Hospital at Home offers a safe alternative to admission to an acute hospital, with almost 15,000 older patients using the service in 2023/24 and this funding will support the continuation and development of existing programmes.

NHS Borders has been allocated £600,000, with a further 12 healthcare partners also receiving a share of the allocation.

Confirmation of the awards comes as a new report from Healthcare Improvement Scotland highlights the impact that the Hospital at Home service for older people has had in 2023-24. The findings show:

• 14,467 patients used Hospital at Home in 2023, up from 11,686 in the previous year
• total bed numbers increased by 58%, ahead of the Scottish Government’s 50% target
• an estimated £14.9 million was saved in traditional hospital admission costs
• a further estimated £36.3 million was saved in post-hospital care due to a reduction in re-admissions

Health Secretary Neil Gray said:

“I am very pleased to see the progress that local health providers are making on delivering Hospital at Home services and the positive impact it is having, particularly on elderly patients.

“Hospital at Home allows patients to receive acute treatment in an environment that they feel comfortable and familiar with.

“There are more Hospital at Home beds for older people available and an increasing number of patients are choosing to use the service.

“Hospital at Home gives people greater independence during their recovery. Evidence shows that those benefitting from the service are more likely to avoid hospital or care home stays for up to six months after an acute illness.

“It is also one of a range of measures that we have put in place to tackle delayed discharge numbers and free up beds within our hospitals.”

Belinda Robertson, Associate Director of Improvement, Healthcare Improvement Scotland said:

 “We know that patients benefit from receiving safe, patient-centred care in the comfort of their own home whilst continuing to benefit from the support they are used to from families, friends and carers.

“Our latest annual report for Hospital at Home across Scotland shows that more and more NHS boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships are providing acute hospital care to people in their own homes.

“Four new services for people living in and around Dumfries, Galashiels, Lerwick and Oban have been established in the last year, and Hospital at Home services across the country have prevented over 14,467 people spending time in hospital.  

“We would like to commend the Hospital at Home services for the fantastic work they’ve done to establish and grow their services. In the year ahead, we look forward to continuing to support NHS boards and Partnerships to further develop the services they provide, and to share learning across all Hospital at Home services.”

Background:

Hospital at Home enables people to receive acute support treatments that would otherwise require them to be admitted to hospital, such as an intravenous drip or oxygen supply. It also provides access to hospital tests under the care of a consultant in their own home.

To date, in 2024/25, £2.8 million of Hospital at Home funding has been allocated, based on their applications, to the 13 local health providers listed below:

• NHS Ayrshire & Arran £300,000
• NHS Borders – £600,000
• NHS Dumfries & Galloway £400,000
• NHS Forth Valley – £195,000
• NHS Lanarkshire – £275,899
• NHS Lothian – £137,897
• NHS Shetland – £185,628
• NHS Western Isles – £220,000
• NHS Grampian – £7,529.48
• NHS Highland – £295,000
• NHS Tayside – £25,000
• NHS Fife – £18,100.56
• NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde – £165,000

Notes:

• We are currently finalising two further applications as part of the £3.6 million allocation
• NHS Orkney do not currently operate a Hospital at Home provision after placing it on a strategic pause, following a pilot test in 2021/22 and did not submit a funding application.