Hospital at Home, a programme which delivers virtual hospital care direct to people’s homes, has been allocated a further £3.6m to support more than 150 extra virtual beds.

The programme aims to provide a safe, patient-centered alternative to hospital admission, providing better outcomes for the patient who can receive treatment in the safety and comfort of their own home, as well as reducing pressure on hospital sites.

The investment for 2023-24, which will take the total funding in the service to more than £10.7m since 2020, will increase patients managed through the programme by 50% – an additional 156 beds.

Funding will be available to existing services and areas yet to develop the initiative, with improvement support provided by Healthcare Improvement Scotland.

Health Secretary Michael Matheson said: “Hospital at Home has already proved to be very successful and most importantly, beneficial to patients and the wider system.

“That’s why we have allocated a further £3.6 million so more people can be managed at home rather than in hospital.

“Patients have spoken very positively about the service and it also reduces pressure on A&E and the Scottish Ambulance Service by avoiding admissions and accelerating discharge. Hospital beds will always be available to people who need them, but this is a better alternative for many.”

Since 2020, the Scottish Government has made more than £8m available to support the development.

This enabled the spread of the programme from seven to 21 Health and Social Care Partnerships, providing 312 beds to date.

A recently published progress report by Healthcare Improvement Scotland showed a 68% increase in patients managed by its services – 7,369 patients managed between April and November 2022, compared to 4,374 the same period the previous year.

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Belinda Robertson, Associate Director of Improvement, Healthcare Improvement Scotland said:“We’re delighted the Scottish Government will continue to fund the development of Hospital At Home services. 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 it 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.”