A new report has revealed that hundreds of children have been able to avoid hospital stays and instead been treated in the familiar surroundings of their own homes under the national Hospital at Home programme - with one Airdrie family among those to benefit.
The report by Healthcare Improvement Scotland, the organisation responsible for supporting the national Hospital at Home programme, shows 340 babies and children were seen by neonatal and paediatric Hospital at Home services between November last year and April 2026.
Expansion to children
The rollout of Hospital at Home, which until last year was solely aimed at adults and older people, means increasing numbers of babies and children are now able to receive treatment, monitoring and support in their own homes.
The new services were set up in Lanarkshire, Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Tayside, while NHS Forth Valley is to launch a paediatric Hospital at Home service later this year with several other health boards set to follow.
McGrady family story
Among those involved are the McGrady family from Airdrie. Chris and Rachel McGrady's baby Jude developed a kidney infection that would have required a week's stay in hospital for the youngster to be on IV antibiotics.
Jude's mum Rachel said: "I had stayed in Wishaw hospital for a couple of nights with him while he was being treated and then we were discharged. But the tests then showed he had an unusual strain of a kidney infection and would need to go back to hospital for a week."
With Rachel's husband Chris working full-time and the couple also having a three-year-old daughter, Heidi, to care for, Rachel was concerned about how they would manage.
After being back in hospital for a couple of days, staff suggested that Hospital at Home could be an option for the family, which would allow them to take Jude home to continue his treatment.
Rachel said: "The difference in being able to have Jude treated by Hospital at Home was invaluable and I can't praise the service highly enough. We were able to take him home with a canula in his hand and the Hospital at Home staff came in each morning for the next few days to give him his antibiotic and check on him. It meant no upheaval for us and I was able to stay at home to take care of our daughter. I can't recommend it highly enough and think so many families could benefit from it."
"The difference in being able to stay at home was huge for us and I couldn't have asked for better support from the Hospital at Home team."
Significant step forward
The development in extending the service to paediatrics marks a significant step forward in delivering care closer to home for children and their families.
Belinda Robertson, associate director of improvement support at Healthcare Improvement Scotland, 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. To have a set up that now also allows a child to be treated within their own home environment is fantastic and I look forward to seeing this situation rolled out further across the country."
Impact and expansion
The new report shows that the continued expansion of Hospital at Home services across Scotland has prevented over 17,000 people having to stay in hospital for treatment in the last year and saved more than £60 million in healthcare costs.
Alison Thewliss MSP, Minister for Community Care, added: "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 7500 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."
