Hospital at home progress report – quarter 3: February 2026

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Hospital at Home

Hospital at home (H@H) is a short-term, targeted intervention providing acute level hospital care in an individual’s home or homely setting.

This programme:

  • has high satisfaction and patient preference across a range of measures.
  • reduces pressure on unscheduled acute care in hospitals by avoiding admissions and accelerating discharge.
  • has consistent evidence of lower costs compared to inpatient care.

What we do:

  • Optimise and expand H@H services: Supporting NHS boards/HSCPs to optimise and expand their neonatal, paediatric and adult H@H services.
  • Develop new H@H services: Supporting the implementation of new neonatal and paediatric services across Scotland, and new adult services in remote and rural areas across Scotland.
  • National Learning System: Enable neonatal, paediatric and adult H@H services to share and learn from each other.
  • National Infrastructure: Develop national infrastructure to enable sustainable neonatal, paediatric and adult H@H services.

Impact so far:

8% increase in adult patients managed by hospital at home services.

  • 11,985 adult patients were managed by H@H services from April to December 2024
  • 12,966 adult patients were managed by H@H services from April to December 2025

Adult H@H services prevented over 12,000 patients spending time in hospital during April to December 2025, relieving pressure from A&E and the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Delivered patient centred care

“They exemplify what healthcare should be – compassionate, professional, and truly patient-centred”

Patient supported by Forth Valley’s adult H@H service.

“He was able to go to school for a couple of hours in the afternoon each day which meant he was able to see his friends and regain a sense of normality instead of being isolated and confined to hospital“

Parent of patient supported by Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s paediatric H@H service.

This has been achieved by working with 13 NHS boards across Scotland.

We are working with services across 13 NHS boards to create new services, improve the resilience of existing services and evaluate new ways of working.

Growing capacity to be bigger than Forth Valley Royal.

  • Aberdeen Royal Hospital – 718 beds
  • Hospital at home – 680 equivalent beds
  • Forth Valley Royal Hospital – 643 beds
  • Western General Hospital – 570 beds
  • University Hospital Wishaw – 514 beds

In December 2025, there was the equivalent of 680 adult hospital at home “beds” with an occupancy rate of 80%. This is larger than Forth Valley Royal in NHS Forth Valley.

Service updates

  • Neonatal & Paediatric H@H: Since launching in November, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde’s neonatal team has supported 31 babies.
  • NHS Lanarkshire also launched their first clinical pathway and cared for their first patient at home.
  • Adult H@H: NHS Forth Valley conducted a three-week test of change. This admitted 18 patients to the respiratory virtual ward, confirming that the model is possible and beneficial. Full implementation will begin once recruitment is complete.
  • NHS Argyll and Bute are increasing their activity each month and on track for meeting SG target of 12 beds.
  • NHS Shetland also received their highest ever patient numbers in December 2025.

Guiding principles

In October 2025, HIS published an updated H@H guiding principles for adult service development. The guiding principles for neonatal and paediatric H@H services are currently being drafted for future publication in 2026 – 2027. This document will include information on:

  • the definition of the service.
  • the evidence base.
  • how the development of paediatric and neonatal H@H services align with current health and social care policy.

Supporting service

“the support we have had has been pivotal in helping us to pilot and develop our H@H service”

Advanced Practice/Urgent Unscheduled Care Lead, NHS Shetland

Information sources

  1. Rapid Response – Admission avoidance hospital at home for older people with frailty, Healthcare Improvement Scotland, February 2022.
  2. Monthly improvement data each adult H@H services sends to Healthcare Improvement Scotland since March 2021.
  3. PHS Scotland, Acute hospital activity and NHS beds information (annual), Year ending 31 March 2025.
  4. Care Opinion
  5. NHS GGC news article.