NHS Fife says the creation of virtual wards in patients’ homes has keep hundreds of elderly Fifers out of hospital.
Hospital@Home has cared for 335 people since it was launched in Dunfermline and West Fife in April last year.
The scheme sees a team of nurses, healthcare support workers, GPs and a consultant go to patients, allowing them to remain in familiar surroundings with family and friends around.
It is claimed the service helps patients remain independent longer.
It is hoped many more will benefit when it is rolled out Fife-wide over the coming months.
Some 7,500 people aged over 75 are admitted to hospital in Fife each year.
Depute general manager of Dunfermline and West Fife Community Health Partnership Val Hatch said: “With increasing numbers of older, frail people coming into acute hospital, it was clear we needed to be able to provide a service that keeps them at home while getting the medical care they need.
“After the first 19 patients, we conducted a review of Hospital@Home, speaking to patients, their families and carers, and it’s been a long time since I’ve read something so positive about a health service. For older people it’s just the right thing to do.”
Fife’s scheme is modelled on a similar service in Torfaen, Wales.
It was developed using the Scottish Government’s £5 million Change Fund allocation for Fife for redesigning services for older people.
Among those eligible are victims of falls and people suffering from delirium, worsening chronic disease symptoms or skin infections.
Those behind the scheme say the same level of care is offered as in hospital, with the team aiming to respond within an hour of a GP referral.
Consultant Dr Angela Wilkinson said: “I am able to offer much better care in Hospital@Home than ever I could in a hospital.
“We are able to offer rapid assessment of people with very complex needs. And seeing them in their own environment, we really get a feel for what they need.”
Hospital admissions can often erode elderly patients’ ability to live independently, particularly for those with dementia.
Dr Wilkinson said: “We are preventing patients from deteriorating.
“In hospital, everything is done for the patient. When they are at home, they can potter about, they can go to the bathroom themselves and go to the kitchen and make a cup of tea.
“They don’t ‘de-skill’ and suddenly have to be rehabilitated. Hospital@Home also allows time to be freed up in hospital for those who are really sick.”