Wednesday September 23rd 2026
Photograph of the visit showing from the left to right: Jenny Morrison ANP; Lisa Hume Advanced Nurse Practitioner/Team Lead; David Riddel Admin; Dr Mat Topping, Consultant Geriatrician and Hospital at Home lead; Peter (Sweden); Emma (Sweden); Jack Louw Specialist Doctor; Andrea Johnstone Clinical Nurse Manager; Owain Simpson Service Manager and Muhammad Attahiru Specialty Dr
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
A Swedish delegation to the Scottish Borders learned lessons on how to implement a Hospital at Home scheme.
The international visit highlighted how innovation, teamwork and continuous improvement are helping more people receive safe, specialist hospital-level care in the comfort of their own homes.
NHS Borders welcomed healthcare professional colleagues from the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg to learn from its expanding Hospital at Home service, which is helping people receive acute, consultant-led care in their own home, rather than being admitted to hospital.
The visit provided an opportunity for members of NHS Borders Hospital at Home team to share practical learning with colleagues who are expanding a similar service in Gothenburg.
Discussions covered how the Borders model has grown from a small, weekday service in one locality into a seven-day service with capacity for around 30 patients and reach across almost the whole region.
The Hospital at Home service supports a wide range of people, including older people living with frailty, adults with multiple long-term conditions or advanced illness, people with complex learning disabilities, care home residents and some surgical patients.
By bringing hospital-level expertise into the home, the team can often avoid an admission or support an earlier discharge, while helping people remain close to family, carers and familiar surroundings.
Hospital at Home supports the ambition to shift the balance of care by providing more person-centred care closer to home, reducing reliance on hospital admission and using resources in ways that better meet the needs of patients and communities.
Dr Mat Topping, Consultant Geriatrician and Clinical Lead for Hospital at Home, said: “Hospital at Home is about giving people the level of clinical care they would receive as an inpatient, without taking them away from the place they know best.
“For many patients, being at home supports their independence, keeps them connected to family and carers, and avoids the disruption that a hospital stay can bring.”
“We were proud and delighted to have an opportunity to showcase our service to our visitors from Sweden and reflect on the journey we have been on in developing the service over the past three years.
“This service has grown because our staff have been willing to test ideas, learn from data and patient feedback, and work across traditional boundaries.
“It is a strong example of NHS Borders putting improvement into practice and using evidence to shape care around what matters to patients.”
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