Scotland’s health secretary “expects” Hospital at Home services to roll out across NHS Grampian, following concerns over “two tier” care for the vulnerable across the North East.
Patients living just outside Aberdeen have been left out of a new programme designed to decrease hospital admissions, due to staff shortages and limited government funding in the north-east.
Backed by SNP ministers, the scheme offers home-based care for mostly older patients with serious health issues such as heart and lung conditions.
But the local health and social care partnership admitted it couldn’t properly staff the pilot scheme in Aberdeenshire, blaming the area’s geography and lack of staff.
During a questions session at Holyrood, North East Scottish Conservative MSP Liam Kerr asked SNP minister Neil Gray when Aberdeenshire would be included in the scheme.
Mr Gray did not answer whether there is a similar disparity in other NHS boards, but pointed towards a share of “unscheduled care funding” as a means to get patients seen.
Mr Kerr said:
“Following a pilot in Westhill, the Health and Social Care Partnership had to pull out due to a lack of support and resources from the Scottish Government.
“It’s available just a few miles away in the city, so the Shire is left with stacked ambulances, two-tier healthcare, GP practices shutting down and village hospitals shutting.
“Cabinet secretary, Is there anywhere else in Scotland which won’t be running Hospital at Home, and will he now provide resources to the Shire for it to proceed?”
Mr Gray said work is under way to increase hospital at home provision to 2000 beds by December 2026, adding: “Officials have been working with NHS Grampian to confirm the additional funding based on the development of their whole system plan… to develop a robust whole system work so that their share of the £85 million of unscheduled care funding can be allocated, and I would expect hospital home to be part of that consideration.”
Mr Kerr said later: “The Hospital at Home initiative was trumpeted by the First Minister and the health secretary as keeping people away from hospital.
“The facts are clear that there is no resource available to an underfunded NHS Grampian and by extension the integrated joint board.
“I asked Neil Gray whether he would reveal other areas of Scotland are unable to offer this service, because frankly it took one family coming forward to find out it isn’t available in Aberdeenshire.”
