The service aims to reduce unnecessary hospital admissions for frail patients over 65 by providing care which would have normally been provided in a hospital in their home instead. This includes IV therapy, blood tests and ECG monitoring. Patients being cared for under the service are safely managed by a multidisciplinary team of hospital consultants, advanced clinical practitioners, pharmacists, nurses, health care assistants, therapists, and other specialist staff.
As part of the service, patients also receive rapid-home based assessments, treatments and access to vital support services. They can also be fast-tracked for complex diagnostic testing, such as CT scans, as day case patients without the need for a hospital admission or overnight stay.
Jean Collier, 87, who started to experience painful swelling after being diagnosed with stroke-induced blood pressure, is one of the most recent patients to benefit from the service.
The great-grandmother, from Woodthorpe, spent four days in hospital following a stroke on 8 May. While in hospital she was given new medication to treat her high blood pressure - but within two weeks of returning home her legs had ballooned and she found it impossible to get her shoes on or walk without constant, burning pain.
Her doctor organised blood tests, and with her fluid retention and kidney test results coming back as abnormal, her doctor called her into the local surgery.
"My GP was very worried with the state of my legs and said I should be back in hospital, but my stats were OK. She'd heard about the Hospital at Home programme, but had not used it yet, so she phoned them while I was there. They said they could help and first thing the next morning I had a prompt assessment at home. They came every day for six days to make sure I could get about and was safe, and they did a check on me every day with the hospital doctors."
Following investigations, the team established that fluid had built up in Jean's legs due to the new medication she had been given to treat her high blood pressure, and she was given water tablets to reduce the swelling. She also received specialist care for her kidney function, which had dropped to 20%, without needing to go to hospital.
"I felt comfortable at home and people on water tablets will know that you need a loo fast. I was very happy to be at home rather than in hospital with my own toilet and commode. The Hospital at Home is a wonderful team, the staff were so kind and caring. I'm so glad my doctor gave them a try. I was struggling to walk but they brought me frames and I can now walk and am very happy. I would say to anybody - if you are offered this service, take it. I can't fault the care I've received."
Sarah Jenkins, Deputy Medical Director for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and lead for the service, said:
"We are delighted that our 'Hospital at Home' service is supporting more patients to stay healthy in the comfort of their own homes when it is safe to do so. The initiative also strengthens the renewed focus on shifting care to the community and builds on research that shows elderly patients recover more quickly and effectively in familiar environments. Staying at home will also reduce travel burden for patients, families and carers, saving time and cost, whilst also freeing up beds for other patients who do need to be in hospital."
