East Lothian H@H

Aim

Hospital at Home teams aim to provide safe, effective, hospital-level acute care in a person’s own home, as an alternative to admission to an acute hospital, or to support early discharge from hospital.

The service supports people who are acutely unwell and would otherwise require inpatient care, enabling them to receive treatment in a familiar environment while maintaining access to specialist medical oversight, diagnostics and interventions equivalent to acute hospital standards.

Hospital at Home contributes to reducing pressure on acute hospitals, improving patient experience, and supporting the wider shift of care from hospital to community settings.

Philosophy

Hospital at Home is underpinned by a person-centred, realistic medicine approach, recognising that care should be delivered in the most appropriate setting for everyone.

Right Care, Right Place, Right Time

Avoiding unnecessary hospital admission, supporting timely discharge, and ensuring rapid access to assessment and treatment.

Integrated Working

Working closely with primary care, community services, social care, acute hospitals, the Scottish Ambulance Service to provide coordinated, seamless care.

Supporting Independence and Wellbeing

Reducing the risks associated with hospital admission such as deconditioning, hospital-acquired infection and loss of independence, particularly for older adults and people living with frailty.

Referral criteria

• Resident within East Lothian
• Patient, family and referrer should be willing for treatment at home
• > 65’s with frailty (including delirium and dementia), comorbidity (decompensation of long-term conditions) and those with complex or palliative needs who would otherwise need admission to hospital
• < 65 with acute decompensation of long-term conditions and/or complex needs including physical and/or learning disability and neurodegenerative conditions
• Hospital at Home will assess safety at home and liaise with therapy and social care input as indicated.

Exclusion criteria:

• Cardiac chest pain
• Acute stroke
• Acute Asthma
• Suspected DVT/PE
• Trauma including suspected fracture(s)
• Acute surgical emergencies
• New oxygen requirement >4L

Opening Times

Weekdays:    8am-8pm
Weekends:    8am-8pm

Contact Number:

Flow Navigation Centre (03000 13 4000): Option 1 then Option 4

All referrals considered on a case-by-case basis. If unsure, please ask the Flow Centre to put you through to the East Lothian H@H team

Other Information

Please do not send a SCI Gateway referral unless the referral has already been accepted as the team may not see it and the referral will not be acted on.

Please send a SCI Gateway referral once your patient has been accepted as we do not have access to primary care IT systems.

The referral pathway post acceptance is: ELCH > Geriatric Medicine > EL Hospital at Home

J.B & J.J – 30-3-26