Residents in rural areas of Lanarkshire are set to have the same level of care as they would in a hospital.
That's thanks to the extension of South Lanarkshire's Hospital at Home (HAH) service, which will be extended to locals in Clydesdale to help cope with the continued pressure on the NHS.
The expansion of the service is part of South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership’s efforts to better care for wider communities during challenging times.
Plans include extending the service over an initial two-year period to people living in Clydesdale.
The move supports discharge from hospital and preventing avoidable admission to hospital.
Soumen Sengupta, director of the partnership, said the development adds to a rich currency of well-established partnership, person-centred supports in the area.
He told Lanarkshire Live : “The challenges of the last two years have placed well-publicised pressures on all of our health and social care services.
“The Clydesdale locality is unique in Lanarkshire in terms of its geographical size and rurality. Existing service provision has been tailored to that.
“This includes the work of our award-wining integrated community support team, which is focused on supporting discharge from hospital and prevention of avoidable admission to hospital.
“Extending HAH's reach will enrich and complement this existing coverage of care.
It’s another visible demonstration of our commitment to ensuring we can safely keep more people close to their loved ones and communities during illness.”
HAH is already well-established across many other areas of Lanarkshire.
This multidisciplinary acute care service delivers specialist, coordinated and comprehensive assessment and care to frailer older adults in their own homes.
And crucially, it offers immediate care to cases that have acute medical issues and would otherwise need hospital admission.
South Lanarkshire’s integration joint board recently heard details of the plans to extend the service to Clydesdale over an initial two-year period.
Mr Sengupta added: “Our staff work exceptionally hard – and challenge themselves – to do their best to ensure that people across South Lanarkshire receive the right care in the right place at the right time.
“This development will further strengthen their and our ability to deliver transformed care as we move through 2022 and beyond.”
The HAH service is hosted by Health and Social Care North Lanarkshire.
Chief officer Ross McGuffie said: “Research shows most older people would prefer to remain in their own homes, with support, if they are unable to look after themselves.
“Since its inception just over 10 years ago, HAH has continually demonstrated delivery of that very outcome – often in very complex cases that would have otherwise been a straight admission to hospital.
“The team’s success has been built on various disciplines working together.
"We look forward to working closely with our colleagues and partners in Clydesdale - and adding to the skill mix and exemplary, existing culture of person-centred care.”
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