alastair feeSouthern England Health Correspondent
BBCPat Ellis is 77 years old and has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
She was recently hospitalized with an asthma attack, but has returned home.
“I have a little dog and family here, so I'm much more comfortable at home,” she said.
She considers herself lucky as she is one of a growing number of patients being kept away from hospitals by dedicated traveling teams.
Emergency Community Response (UCR) visits provide in-person care tailored to individual needs and are on the rise.
This is a so-called “home hospital.”
More than 3,500 patients in North Hampshire were treated this way last year, with 85% staying out of hospital.
In 2024, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare Trust provided 18,086 face-to-face appointments.
But demand far exceeds its capacity.
Sue Norman, a senior clinician on the UCR team, said: “We have to turn down referrals every day. Our team started with eight people and has now grown to over 40 people.
“This shows how quickly we're growing. We just need more. It's a much-needed service.”
UCR accepts referrals from GPs, Hampshire hospitals, ambulance services, family members and patients themselves.
This prevents unnecessary hospital admissions, keeps people safe at home or away from the emergency department, and reduces pressure on the system as a whole.
Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has around 180 patients in beds who are medically fit to go home.
This is what the NHS calls NCTR, or No Residency Criteria.
A visit to Wickham Ward at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital reveals the daily challenge of freeing up beds.
In some quarters, three out of four patients are waiting to be discharged from hospital, but need support at home to return safely.
Eileen Truss is 97 years old and this is the first time she has been hospitalized after falling at home.
“I was told that I need support now. I need a little help getting up in the morning, showering and getting dressed,” she said.
Tracy Whale, medical lead nurse at Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust, said: “We know acute hospitals are not the right place for many patients who need time to recover and people need to stay at home.”
“We know that people are less active when in a hospital bed, which can lead to a decline in their condition – less mobility, less appetite, and ultimately making them weaker than they were before admission.”
Like other trusts, Hampshire Hospital is urging people to think carefully about whether a patient needs to have an accident or emergency and consider where else they can get support in their local community.
If you are admitted to the hospital, we recommend that you plan your discharge early to free up a bed.
The approximate number of patients who no longer require hospital-level care but are still in hospital beds is provided by the NHS.
Hampshire Hospital: 180 Southampton General Hospital: 240 Bournemouth and Poole: 250 Queen Alexandra Hospital: 270 St Mary's Hospital: 76
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare Trust's home hospital team is expanding in response to a shortage of hospital beds.
We have grown by 140%, increasing the number of beds from 20 to 48.
This means more patients will be able to receive hospital-level care at home, reducing pressure on inpatient units and freeing up hospital beds for those who need it most.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare Trust said UCR visits that prevented hospital admissions were delivering significant savings to the wider health system.
Compared to the average cost of an inpatient stay and ambulance transport, the service saved the whole system around £16 million in 2024. This number is expected to be even higher in 2025.
