Healthcare delivery Belinda Robertson, Associate Director of
Improvement, Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS), said: “An increasing number of patients are experiencing the benefits of receiving acute hospital care at home. “More and more NHS boards and Health
and Social Care Partnerships are embracing Hospital At Home by establishing and developing services. We will continue to support NHS boards and Partnerships to further develop the services they provide and share learning across all Hospital At Home services.” An evaluation further noted that Hospital at Home services had contributed to a 27% reduction in length of stay. 2024 saw further encouraging statistics reported by HIS. It noted that 14,467 patients had used the service in 2023 – an increase from 11,686; that total bed numbers had increased by 58%; around £14.9m was saved in hospital admission
costs; and approximately £36.3m was saved in post-hospital care due to a reduction in re-admissions. Continuing that momentum, the Scottish Government announced that it would invest a further £3.6 million across 2024-25, bringing the total funding allocation for the initiative to over £15 million. Health Secretary, Neil Gray, said: “These
figures from HIS show that Hospital at Home is becoming an increasingly popular care alternative for elderly patients to receive acute treatment in a place they feel comfortable and familiar with.
“Hospital at Home gives people greater independence during their recovery process. 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.”
In the here and now, it is considered that the
benefits do not end there. Virtual beds reduce the burden of travel for families, enhance accessibility of care for people with disabilities and those with complex health needs, and offer faster hospital admission if health deteriorates. Now, fresh plans for what has been called
‘Scotland’s largest virtual hospital’ look set to become a major milestone for this virtual direction of travel, representing only the beginning of a wider tech revolution in how the country delivers better healthcare to the population in the community. With NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHS GGC) and digital health company Doccla partnering on the launch of 1,000 virtual ward beds, this will play a crucial role in ambitions to increase capacity right across the country. The programme leverages Doccla’s real-time
remote monitoring technology, enabling patients to be safely and securely looked after at home. This is undoubtedly an important, proactive
step towards a better NHS. NHS GGC and Doccla say their partnership “will create a new benchmark for virtual hospital care, aligned with Scotland’s Digital Health and Care Strategy”.2 Doccla’s technology will be integrated with NHS GGC’s flow navigation centre – “a multidisciplinary hub” which allows clinicians to assess and treat patients remotely. As part of a three-year strategic programme, a phased approach to implementation is expected to commence this summer. Chief Executive of NHS GGC, Prof Jann
Gardner, said the partnership will “allow us to deliver the right care in the right place for our patients, helping us to transform and develop our NHS now and into the future.” In January this year, First Minister, John
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Swinney, pledged to expand the Hospital at Home initiative by at least 2,000 beds before the end of 2026, stating that “without the need for any new bricks and mortar, the effective capacity of every single hospital in Scotland will
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