NHS encourages use of 'Hospital at Home' service over Christmas

The NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) is urging patients to take advantage of the 'Hospital at Home' service this Christmas if they are offered it by a healthcare professional.

This innovative service, also known as 'virtual wards', allows patients to receive hospital-level care in the comfort of their own homes, ensuring a safe and efficient alternative to traditional hospital care where appropriate.

The Hospital at Home service is designed to deliver acute clinical care, including medical, nursing, and allied healthcare support, to patients in their usual place of residence. This service includes the use of digital and clinical devices under clinical supervision to monitor patients' health and provide timely responses when needed.

Since launching in Lancashire and South Cumbria in December 2022, it is estimated that that Hospital at Home has saved approximately 91,000 hospital bed days, given that the average length of stay on a virtual ward is 4.5 days.

Dr Richard Russell, virtual ward lead for Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB, said: “Not everyone would benefit from Hospital at Home care, but for many people in hospital, the main thing they want is to be at home in familiar surroundings with family and friends at hand.

"We believe that the Hospital at Home service offers a safe and effective way for patients to receive the care they need without the need for hospital admission. By utilising this service, we can free up hospital beds for those who need them most, especially during the busy Christmas period."

Hospital at Home not only ensures that patients receive the same quality of care they would expect in a hospital setting but also allows them to recover in the comfort and familiarity of their own homes.

Kathryn Mashiter, a patient from Preston who made use of Hospital at Home after a fainting episode, said: “They said I might have to stay in overnight for monitoring but I felt fine. You hear horror stories of patients having to stay on beds in corridors and I thought in my situation I shouldn’t be taking up a hospital bed. Then I was told about Hospital at Home which meant I could go home but monitor my blood pressure.

"They provided me with a machine to do it and then contacted me every few hours to check how I was doing. It went on for two days and then they discharged me.

“I thought ‘what a wonderful idea’ - it allowed me to go home and sleep in my own bed.”

This service is part of the ICB's ongoing commitment to improving patient care and outcomes by reducing hospital admissions, supporting early discharge, and enhancing the overall patient experience.

For more information about the Hospital at Home service, please visit www.lancashireandsouthcumbria.icb.nhs.uk/virtualwards