We know patients who are supported through an illness recover more quickly in their own home. They also have less chance of de-conditioning, falls and infection. They can stay connected to their families, carers and communities. It’s better for patients and helps reduce pressure on our hospitals.

Hospital at Home focuses on suitable patients with the conditions of frailty, respiratory issues or heart failure (or in some cases a combination of these conditions). These are the national priority areas identified as most suitable for care in this way. However, other acute pathways are also considered by the team.

The Central Manchester Hospital at Home Service supports patients living or registered with a GP in Central Manchester. Patients must be aged over 18 and will be triaged (assessed) for their suitability for the service.

Patients might be at home and identified as needing care that can be carried out at home. They also might be in hospital and identified as being able to be transferred to the Hospital at Home service for ongoing care.

Patients can be supported in several ways including:

• Taking our service to the patient’s home. This is where our team (including hospital consultants and other expert staff) visit you at home to provide assessments, care and therapy that you need to support you
• Providing telemedicine support (such as remote vital sign monitoring like heart rate or blood pressure) that allows us to monitor you without being in hospital
• Providing social support
• Or a combination of these offers.

You will be under the care of a hospital consultant (doctor) and our wider team of expert staff (see below for who is in the team). They will decide which staff need to visit you at home.

Many of the tests we carry out can be done at home including blood tests and ECGs. If you need more specialist diagnostics (like a CT scan or chest x-ray for example) the team will arrange for you to be fast-tracked for the test at hospital while under our care. This will be without you needing to stay overnight or be admitted so you can return home under our care on the same day.

In most cases you will be cared for by the team for up to 14 days and then discharged to your GP or the right community health team. We will let your GP know you are under the care of the team while you are in the Hospital at Home service.

Working with the hospital consultants are a team of highly trained staff including advanced clinical practitioners (expert nursing and therapy staff who have taken extra training and qualifications to be able to provide expert care), nurses, therapists, pharmacists, social workers and other staff members. We also have some GP input into the service.

The right staff will be assigned to look after you at home through regular visits or contact while you are being cared for by the Hospital at Home service.

If you are being cared for by the team and need to contact us, please call us via the number given to you by the team.

The Hospital at Home service is open from 08:30 – 22:00, seven days a week.

If you are calling outside of our service hours for non-emergency advice, please contact NHS 111 or your GP Surgery in the first instance. In case of an emergency please contact 111 or 999 for immediate advice or support.