Hospital at Home Service: Understanding the impact on family carers in Dorset
The service provides acute, short-term NHS care in people’s own homes as an alternative to hospital admission. The model has grown nationally, aiming to reduce pressure on hospitals while supporting patients to recover in familiar surroundings.
Our 2022 report Carers experiences of the Dorset Home First service highlighted the challenges carers face as they support loved ones leaving hospital to recover at home. We continue to work with our local NHS trusts to provide better information and support for carers and as a follow up project, wanted to gather feedback on carers experience of Hospital at Home.
This report aims to address the following questions:
- What are unpaid carers’ experiences of supporting someone using the Hospital at Home service across Dorset?
- What are the benefits of the Hospital at Home ward for unpaid carers?
- What challenges, if any, do unpaid carers face supporting someone on the Hospital at Home ward?
- How, if any, could the Hospital at Home service improve the experience of unpaid carers?
Key findings
- The majority of people are overwhelmingly in favour of the Hospital at Home service.
- 83% of respondents rated Hospital at Home service as very good; 11% rated it as adequate and 6% as just OK. No one rated it as poor.
- Even though carers may have experienced stress, they still rated their Hospital at Home service experience good.
- 78% of unpaid carers usually provide care. Of those, only 42% were a registered carer with their GP or local council.
- 22% of unpaid carers don’t usually provide care.
- 89% of respondents felt they were kept fully informed about treatment provided. And the same number knew where to access further support should they need it.
Recommendations
- Increase awareness and understanding of Hospital at Home. Improve public facing information about the Hospital at Home service.
- Communication and information exchange. Carers need to be involved from the initial conversation about arrangements for the patient using the Hospital at Home service.
- Carer identification. A consistent approach across all teams should be used so that Hospital at Home service staff have a good understanding of what a carer is and are able to identify and offer signposting to carer support.
- Continue to gather lived experience. The Hospital at Home service team should set up a continuing process of gathering feedback from patients, family members and carers and show how that feedback is used to improve the service.
Read our report
If you would like this report in a different format, email enquiries@healthwatchdorset.co.uk or call 0300 111 0102.
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Hospital at Home Service: Understanding the impact on family carers in Dorset
