From the Scottish Government, today:
The Scottish Government is continuing to invest in Hospital at Home for Older People with £3.6 million allocated for 2024/25, bringing total funding allocation for the initiative to over £15 million since 2020.
Recent statistics released by Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) show that last year the Hospital at Home service for Older People, which provides a safe, alternative to being admitted to an acute hospital, exceeded targets in several key areas between April 2023 and March 2024, including:
- total bed numbers have increased by over 57%, ahead of the Scottish Government’s 50% target
- 14,467 patients used Hospital at Home, up from 11,686 in the previous 12-month period
- the Hospital at Home service is now the eighth biggest “hospital” for older people emergency inpatients, alongside Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Stirling.
Why is this being done?
From research by the British Geriatric Society in 2023:
The research found a reduction in admission to new long-term residential care and high levels of patient satisfaction for hospital at home. A higher transfer rate to hospital at follow-up after one month for those allocated to hospital at home was observed. Up until recently there has been limited evidence on the cost-effectiveness of hospital at home, compared with hospital admission. To address this, a cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted in parallel with this UK randomised trial and published in Age and Ageing. Costs were estimated per participant from a health, social care and societal perspective. The main finding was that due to a combination of lower hospital and social care costs admission-avoidance hospital at home, if implemented as intended, can be a cost-effective service that has potential to strengthen the provision of healthcare for an older population.
Sources:
Talking-up Scotland / Facts on NHS, Crime, ferries and everything else you can think of 
My elderly mother received Hospital at Home. What an excellent service. It’s the way to go.
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I’m an SNP member and this is the first time I’ve heard of this! Why aren’t the Scottish Government getting this stuff publicised? I really do despair.
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You got it bass ackward – SG do publish the information, that’s the source of John’s article, with him doing the publicising, because he knows full well the media won’t, geared as they are to political negativity – That’s where your criticism should rightly be directed, Scotland’s blatantly biased media….
SG have been trying to bypass this blockage since the pandemic days using Social Media, Youtube presentations etc., but there is a limit to what they can do….
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I know how TuS works. My point is that if even I as a party member am oblivious to this then what chance the wider public? That’s a problem the SNP/SG/Indy simply have to resolve.
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From https://www.nhsaaa.net/services/services-a-z/hospital-at-home/ ” The first Hospital at Home (H@H) service was established in Scotland in 2011 in NHS Lanarkshire”…
SG funding has been assisting expansion and development since 2020, but because you heard nothing about it, that’s a “SNP/SG/Indy” problem to solve ?
Seriously ?
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Yes, seriously.
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Have a word with your branch secretary? They should be telling members this sort of thing
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Might I suggest SG is too busy doing what matters to also take on a deliberately hostile media?
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Why aren’t the Scottish Government getting this stuff publicised?
The MSM see these in their inboxes every day and look away.
Write and complain to the BBC?
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Hi John, I’m curious; as anSNP member Ilook at their website but can’t see any mention of this. What is the source of your info.
Geoff
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And that there is the problem. It’s entirely because of the deliberately hostile media that (a) we’re not Independent now, and (b) the SNP face a battle this election. Its absolutely no good if the positive stuff is being either ignored or distorted.
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The elderly staying in their own home. Social care. Hospital care £1000 a day. Residential care £1000+ a week. Social care much less.
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Can’t disagree John, but like Bob above it misses my point. This is a media management (and lack thereof) issue. If it wasn’t for TuS I’d still be oblivious…
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Likewise!
I’ve learned so much since I was directed here.
Thank you
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