The Scottish Government has announced funding of  £3.6 million for Hospital at Home for older people to help ease pressure on frontline acute services. NHS Orkney does not currently operate a Hospital at Home service and so did not apply for any of this round of funding.

NHS Orkney did take part in pilot trial of Hospital at Home in 2021/22 but have since put the scheme on hold.

13 local healthcare providers in Scotland are sharing in £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.

Commenting on the success of Hospital at Home Health Secretary in the Scottish Government 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.

A recent report, Acute adult and older people hospital at home programme report 2023/24, has looked into how the scheme is working across Scotland.

Key highlights from the report include:

• Hospital at home services prevented over 14,467 people spending time in hospital between April 2023 to March 2024.
• There has been a 58% increase in the number of older people/acute adult hospital at home “beds” from 314 in quarter 4 of 2022/23 to 495 in quarter 4 of 2023/24.
• An estimated £36.3 million in costs avoid for hospital admissions, outpatient activity and care home support in 2023/24 due to the reduced demand following hospital at home discharge compared to a traditional hospital admission.

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

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.”

Fiona Grahame