Care Closer to Home - Developing Hospital Services and Integrated Care within the Community

Providing NHS care closer to home has been a central objective within Department of Health (DH) policy for a number of years. This publication, written for the NHS and local authorities, looks at:

• the main health and social care policy statements for providing care closer to home
• the qualitative and financial benefits of providing care closer to home and integrated care between health and social services, and
• the important financial, clinical and patient engagement considerations when pursuing service change.

The development of this publication has been set within the context of an NHS that is to become financially challenged, with a recognition that significant innovation is required to take forward service modernisation resulting in better quality, best practice, preventative and evidence-based health services with less real term growth.

The publication draws on 13 case studies where traditional hospital-based services are being, or are planned to be, provided closer to home, with the service and financial outcomes that have been achieved, or are expected to result.

These studies focus on a range of new service delivery options to prevent avoidable hospital admissions, reduce length of hospital stay with enhanced supported discharge, and provide services within the community or at home using new medical technology and skills.

This publication is available as a book and a bookmarked PDF.