Hospital at Home service saved more than £60m, report claims

The Scottish Government’s Hospital at Home service has saved more than £60 million as a result of care for older people, a new watchdog report has estimated.

The initiative, which is designed to provide care in people’s homes to avoid a hospital admission, saw more than 17,000 people over the age of 65 in the 2025-26 financial year.

According to a report from Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS), released on Tuesday, the programme has saved an estimated £18.8 million in healthcare costs while a further £44.3 million is estimated to have been saved on treatment which would likely have been required in the six months following discharge.

The Government has set a target of making Hospital at Home the “biggest hospital in the country”, a goal which was hit between October and December of last year, when the amount of care provided by the programme was higher than any other setting in Scotland.

Hospital at Home is also estimated to have prevented 530 care home admissions.

Last year, the programme was expanded to include paediatric and neonatal care, with 340 babies and children being spared a hospital stay between November last year and April this year.

Community care minister Alison Thewliss said: “I have recently seen first-hand the positive impact that Hospital at Home is having.

“The service is now truly coming into its own, enabling children and babies to receive treatment in the comfort of their own homes and familiar surroundings, helping to ease the burden on families during what can already be a very stressful time.

“Across Scotland more than 7,500 patients were accepted into services between February and April this year.

“We have invested an additional £100 million to build on the progress made and help build the largest ‘hospital’ in the country.”

Belinda Robertson, associate director of improvement support at HIS, said: “We are delighted to see the huge benefits that Hospital at Home is now bringing to young people and their families.

“We know a hospital stay can be a stressful and unsettling time for anyone, and in particular we know this is true for children and their families.

“We have seen from the beginning the benefits that Hospital at Home can bring in allowing adults to stay within the familiarity of their own homes.”