Staying in Hospital
Hospital at Home
RUH Hospital at Home
Virtual wards, which include RUH Hospital at Home, are a safe and efficient alternative to NHS bedded care.
Virtual wards support patients, who would otherwise be in hospital, to receive the acute care and treatment they need in their own home. This includes either preventing an avoidable admission into hospital or supporting an early discharge out of hospital.
Patients under the care of RUH Hospital at Home are safely looked after in the comfort of their own home, and remain under the care of an RUH consultant, until they have safely completed their programme of treatment.
RUH Hospital at Home provides safe, patient-centred care in the comfort of your own home, so please do consider if this option if you feel it would suit you.
RUH Hospital at Home forms part of the Virtual Wards offer in BSW.
Find out more
BSW Virtual Wards patient leaflet
Contact is via the Care Coordination Centre
01225 410 240 and ask for RUH Hospital at Home.
How does it work?
RUH Hospital at Home is a multi-disciplinary medical consultant-led service. Patients will have an individually tailored treatment plan and will be seen daily by a clinician in their own home.
Observations, blood tests, and daily whiteboard and MDT discussions are all part of Hospital at Home – patients will still get the care they need, just in their own home. In addition, patient care is enabled by technology including remote monitoring: RUH Hospital at Home patients are offered virtual monitoring at home using clinical grade devices to provide high-quality monitoring for safe patient care.
You will remain under the care of the Hospital at Home consultant until you have finished your treatment. When you are discharged from RUH Hospital at Home your care will be handed back to the care of your GP and community teams.
You are also be invited to give us feedback on the service with a short questionnaire.
What are the benefits?
Being in a familiar environment can have a big impact on your hospital experience – evidence shows patients recover better and quicker in their own home.
Returning home also lessens the risk of physical or mental deconditioning – patients who spend the majority of their time in a hospital bed can quickly lose fitness or muscle tone and can lose confidence in their ability to perform everyday tasks. Patients are eight times less likely to experience functional decline whilst in a virtual ward compared to equivalent treatment in an acute setting.
There is also a bigger risk of acquiring other infections in hospital, despite the prevention and control measures in place. Patients are five times less likely to acquire an infection when treated on a virtual ward compared to an acute setting.
Who can make use of the RUH Hospital at Home service? You can be considered for the service if you have a GP in B&NES or Wiltshire and are:
- over the age of 18
- medically unwell but stable
- able to remain safe between our visits
- willing to consider being cared for at home, rather than on a hospital ward
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I ask to be treated at home?
Yes, if you are a patient and think you could benefit from the Hospital at Home service, please talk to your ward nursing and medical team. There will be a review process for each patient to ensure they are suitable for Hospital at Home.
My doctor has suggested Hospital at Home for me/my relative – can I say no?
Yes, if you are identified as a patient who would benefit from the Hospital at Home, your care team will discuss this with you. You do not have to agree, you will be asked for your consent to become a Hospital at Home patient.
How do you identify which patients can use this service?
Patients who are eligible to be treated at home will be referred by members of the ward medical and nursing teams, and the RUH Hospital at Home team will work with the wards to make sure we can support you at home.
What kind of care will I get at home?
You will have an individually tailored care plan. The team is led by a consultant geriatrician, and includes doctors, nurses, therapists and care staff. You will be visited by one of the clinical team at home, and observations, blood tests and IV infusions will happen in your home. In addition, you can use virtual monitoring equipment that we can read in the hospital, and we will organise that you can come back to the hospital for tests or treatments if needed e.g. CT scan.
Is this just a way to free up beds, because you don’t have enough to treat all the patients you need to?
No not at all, research shows that patients recover better and quicker in their own home. Many of the treatments that patients suitable for the Hospital at Home service are receiving can easily be delivered at home, allowing them to recuperate and recover in a comfortable and familiar environment. The Hospital at Home service wants to work with patients to deliver high-quality care that puts you first and recognises your individual needs.
Is this service safe?
Each Hospital at Home patient is assessed on an individual basis, taking into account their individual needs to ensure they are suitable for the service. Patients will receive high-quality care, in their own homes and there are examples of similar successful services across the UK at other hospitals.
What happens if a patient has a deterioration in their health?
Patients being looked after by Hospital at Home will not be discharged from the service until they have completed their treatment programme. We recognise that during the course of a treatment plan, things may change and that on occasion, treatment plans may change to reflect this. If during your treatment, things change and we can no longer meet your healthcare needs in your own home, then we will arrange any necessary changes; this may include an increase in visits by the Hospital at Home team, early review in a clinic slot or even transfer back to an inpatient ward at the RUH.
