Democrat reporter
Scottish Government Health Secretary Neil Gray was asked at Holyrood today what alternatives are being piloted to enable older patients to be cared for outside of hospitals.
The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care told parliament: “Our approach to reform focuses on primary and community care, aiming to shift the balance of care where appropriate for people and their families.
“Our immediate focus is on enhancing capacity in the community, and work is under way to increase hospital at home provision to 2,000 beds by December 2026, meaning that people can receive hospital-level care in their own homes.
“To ensure that all of our population can access a hospital at home service that meets their needs, we have commissioned Healthcare Improvement Scotland to support integration authorities to adapt services to meet the needs of rural and island communities.”
Conservative health spokesman Liam Kerr pointed out that the hospital at home initiative is not currently available in some constituencuies including his own in Aberdeenshire.
He added: “Following a pilot in Westhill, the health and social care partnership had to pull out due to a lack of support and resources from the Scottish Government.
Conservative health spokesman Liam Kerr and Health Secretary Neil Gray.
“The service is available just a few miles away in the city, but the shire is left with stacked ambulances, two-tier healthcare, general practitioner practices shutting down and village hospitals shutting.
“Is there anywhere else in Scotland that will not be running hospital at home? Will the cabinet secretary now provide resources to the shire for it to proceed?”
Neil Gray said: “Decisions on how to deliver services for local communities are ultimately for integration authorities to make. In this case, it is the Aberdeenshire integration joint board. However, following NHS Grampian’s escalation, officials have been working with NHS Grampian to confirm the additional funding based on the development of its whole-system plan, taking into account the recommendations that were made in the KPMG report.
“Through the assurance board process, extensive work is under way with NHS Grampian to develop robust whole-system work so that its share of the £85 million of unscheduled care funding can be allocated. I expect hospital at home to be part of that consideration.”
David Torrance (Kirkcaldy) (SNP) added:”I very much welcome the investment that the Scottish Government is making in the hospital at home initiative, which will make it the biggest hospital in Scotland, with 2,000 beds by the end of next year.
“Hospital at home is allowing elderly patients in my constituency to benefit from being around their home comforts with family and friends nearby, and I very much welcome that.
“Beyond that, can the cabinet secretary outline what more is being done to support elderly and vulnerable patients to be treated more effectively in hospitals? For example, how will the new frailty units work?”
Neil Gray replied: “David Torrance is absolutely right that hospital at home can be transformational in terms of the delivery of services. The fact that we are moving to 2,000 beds by the end of next year will make hospital at home the largest hospital in Scotland.
“For people who are living with frailty, hospitals can increase the risk of harm if their needs are not identified quickly and if our systems and services are poorly co-ordinated. That is why we have committed to delivering direct access to specialist frailty teams across every emergency department in Scotland.
“That will mean that frail patients with complex needs will bypass our busy accident and emergency departments to receive the specialist care and support that they need, minimising the risk of prolonged hospital stays.
“By providing co-ordinated multi-agency care both at the front door of our EDs and in the community, we can provide the right care in the right place, helping people who are experiencing frailty to remain as independent as possible.
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