Hospital at Home
Hospital at Home provides care that may ordinarily take place in hospital and delivers it patients in the community, sometimes in the comfort of a patients own home.
Care can include face-to-face nursing care, therapy and remote monitoring services for a range of conditions for up to 14 days. Care is provided by an experienced team which includes doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, pharmacists, paramedics and support workers.
Professionals (such as your GP, your doctor in hospital or care home staff) may refer you to our Hospital at Home service. This means you could avoid going into hospital or return home sooner, while still getting the care you need.
Receiving hospital-equivalent care in your own home can help maintain independence, avoid hospital-related complications and can mean recovery is much quicker.
How the service is provided
We run Hospital at Home in partnership with professionals from across the East and North Herts Health and Care Partnership.
Our team of clinicians has easy access to support and advice from a range of specialist services, including dieticians, palliative care, the community respiratory team and the Integrated Heart Failure Service.
Once you have been referred to Hospital at Home, you may be visited at home and / or given a remote monitoring kit to monitor your condition.
This kit is supplied by a company called Doccla, who will show you, or a carer, if you have one, how to use it.
When your treatment ends
You will be assessed by our medical team before being discharged. We will send a discharge summary to your GP explaining what care you have received. You will need to return any monitoring equipment we provide to Doccla.
Who is eligible for the service?
Hospital at Home is currently open to patients with a GP in East and North Hertfordshire who are aged 18 or over.
Referrals can be made by any healthcare professional (including care home staff) who has assessed the patient as suitable for the service.
This list is not exhaustive, but patients with any of the following may be suitable for Hospital at Home:
- Abnormal bloods
- Bowel management
- Cancer
- Cardiac conditions
- Cellulitis
- Covid-19
- Dehydration
- Delirium
- Diabetes / endocrine disorders
- End-of-life care
- Falls
- Frailty
- Heart failure
- Infection
- Musculoskeletal problems
- Mobility
- Pain and symptom control
- Post-operative care
- Renal problems
- Respiratory conditions
- Triage
- Wound care infection
- Urinary tract infection (UTI)
Making a referral
To access this service you must be referred by a healthcare professional.
Information for health professionals:
The service is available through referral only. Referrals can be accepted from any healthcare professional who has assessed the patient. There are two options to refer to Hospital at Home:
- Email a completed referral form to hct.urgentcommunityadult@nhs.net
- Call the Hospital at Home Integrated Care Coordination Hub on 0300 123 7571.
Referral criteria
Referrals are accepted 8am-8pm, seven days a week. After 8pm referrals may be triaged for assessment the following day.
Inclusion criteria
Patients must be aged 18 years or over and registered with a GP in East and North Hertfordshire.
Exclusion criteria
- Self-referrals
- People under 18 years of age
- Pregnancy
- Patients who can be clinically managed by their own GP or in a Minor Injuries Unit
- Social needs only, where the patient has no healthcare needs
- Patient is not safe to be managed in the community and needs admission to an acute hospital
- Patients who are unsafe alone in their property between visits or overnight.
Useful information
Patient information leaflet
Hospital At Home Patient information leaflet
Examples of care provided through Hospital at Home
- Remote monitoring using a mobile phone to check weight, oxygen levels, pulse rate, temperature, and blood pressure (kit and instructions for use are provided)
- First dose IV/oral antibiotics to treat acute infections like urinary tract infections (UTIs), cellulitis, chest infections and pneumonia
- Treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Falls, urgent mobility assessments and rapid decline in functional ability
- Point-of-care testing for infections and deep vein thrombosis markers
- Electrocardiogram (ECG) testing – when 999 response not required
- Medication reviews by pharmacists
- End-of-life and specialist palliative care.
Contact the service
If you are a patient using the service who needs support, or just have further questions about Hospital at Home, please call the team (8am-8pm, seven days a week) on 0300 123 7571.
If you are a Hospital at Home patient and feel unwell outside of these hours, please call 111.
If it is a life-threatening emergency do not wait, please call 999.
Further information for health professionals can be found in the 'Making a referral' section below.
Patient experience
Juliet (not pictured) had had multiple hospital admissions for treatment of a category 4 pressure ulcer and related wound infections previously, but was able to be treated at home instead.
"I was very pleased to have avoided another hospital admission and felt that staying in my own home helped me to recover quicker and reduced my anxiety. It also meant I was able to maintain my usual routines at home, making everything much easier to continue to manage. You have no idea what a difference this made to me in maintaining my independence."
Patient feedback
We welcome your feedback
If you have compliments or concerns about Hospital at Home you can:
- Call the Hospital at Home team on 0300 123 7571
- You can contact the Patient Experience team/PALS by calling 0800 011 6113/ 01707 388164 or emailing hct.patientexperienceteam@nhs.net
- Fill out the NHS Friends and Family Test (FFT) and tell us what went well or not so well to help us improve the Hospital at Home service.
Complete the friends and family test
For more information about these services visit: Patient experience | Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust (hct.nhs.uk)
