New at-home treatment helping West Suffolk heart failure patients avoid hospital stays
They say it's helping free up hospital beds while allowing people to recover in familiar surroundings.
Heart failure patients in West Suffolk are being treated in their own homes instead of hospital thanks to a new NHS pathway designed to reduce admissions and improve patient care.
About the pathway
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust has introduced a service allowing patients to receive intravenous diuretic treatment at home, care which would previously have required several days in hospital.
The pathway is currently supporting between six and eight patients each week.
Patients are admitted onto the Trust’s virtual ward service, where they are monitored remotely while specially trained community nurses visit their homes to administer treatment.
The initiative has been developed through collaboration between the Trust’s cardiac specialists, virtual ward teams and community nursing services.
Joanne Pugh said: “These patients would normally have been hospitalised for days to enable this treatment but through close working across hospital and community teams, we’re able to better support patients at home.”
The Trust said the scheme allows patients to begin treatment more quickly, avoid disruption caused by hospital admission and recover in familiar surroundings.
Happier patients
One patient to benefit from the pathway, Glynis Tryon, said being treated at home had made a major difference during a difficult period in her personal life.
She said: “I have had the treatment in hospital before, but I much prefer having it at home.
“When I had the treatment at home, I was nursing my late husband Peter who was very ill with lung disease. The nurses coming to me meant that I was able to stay at home with him.”
The Trust said the pathway had also helped reduce pressure on hospital beds by allowing suitable patients to remain safely at home.
Community nurses involved in the scheme have received additional training from cardiac specialists to safely deliver intravenous treatment outside of hospital settings.
Patryk Szklanny said: “Patients often tell us how much happier they are being at home, and many feel they recover faster in their own space.
“It’s rewarding to provide this holistic patient-centred care.”
GPs can refer patients directly into the service, with assessments and treatment often beginning within hours.
Sandra Webb said the programme reflected a wider NHS focus on delivering more care closer to home.
She said: “Our dedicated colleagues are working differently and developing new skills that are enhancing patient safety, improving quality of life and reducing hospital admissions.”