Hospital at Home

The Hospital at Home Initiative

Healthwatch Surrey was commissioned by the North West Surrey Alliance to explore the Hospital at Home initiative with older residents of North West Surrey. 

We explained the initiative and gathered feedback from 72 people in 5 of the key neighbourhoods on how they felt about taking part in the Hospital at Home scheme, what experience they had of remote consultations and their overall impressions and concerns about the concept.

We were able to report to the North West Surrey Alliance that nearly two thirds of respondents were positive about the initiative, with people being keen to reduce the burden on the NHS and also benefit from the comfort of staying at home. We identified two elements that are crucial to the success of the scheme: confidence in using the equipment provided and confidence in the level oversight provided by the NHS. The North West Surrey Alliance can now ensure these points are addressed adequately as part of developing and rolling out the initiative. 

Virtual Wards Programme

Virtual wards allow patients to get the care they need at home, rather than being in hospital. 

We were asked by the Alliance for Better Care to explore the idea of virtual wards across a number of locations in East Surrey. We focussed on older people in the community, who were more likely to be future virtual ward patients. We held 6 engagement events in the key neighbourhoods in East Surrey, gathering 64 in-depth experiences and having immersive discussions with people to understand their initial thoughts about the concept of virtual wards. 

The findings were collated and the key themes and recommendations were shared with Alliance for Better Care, along with the detailed individual experiences. They will help inform the development of the virtual wards in East Surrey.