Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth visits Fife’s ‘Hospital At Home’ service
Fife’s long-established ‘Hospital At Home’ service has welcomed Deputy First Minister, Jenny Gilruth, for a visit.
The Glenrothes MSP visited Whyteman’s Brae Hospital in Kirkcaldy on Wednesday to meet staff delivering the service, and find out more about the difference it is making for patients across Fife.
The service supports people to receive hospital-level care in their own homes, helping more patients access treatment closer to home while avoiding unnecessary hospital admissions.
Ms Gilruth met members of the multi-disciplinary team, observed the daily safety huddle and discussed its ongoing development with NHS Fife and Fife Health and Social Care Partnership colleagues.
The service, which covers central and west Fife, launch in the region 14 years ago,making it one of the longer-established services of this type in Scotland.
In 2024, NHS Fife is one of 13 local healthcare authorities to be awarded a share of £3.6 million from the Scottish Government to support its operations. Locally, the programme has saved more than 850 hospital bed days so far that year. It also allowed approximately 45 patients each month to go home earlier from Kirkcaldy’s Victoria Hospital.
Patients are referred by their GP or hospital medical staff to allow them to either be assessed and treated in their own environment or to continue their treatment prescribed whilst in hospital, in the comfort of their home environment.
They are assessed at home to identify their medical needs and get the support from a range of departments including nursing, therapy, pharmacy and specialist services.