Chamber and committees

Hospital at Home is an important part of our wider approach to improving patient flow and reducing pressure on acute hospital services, including Emergency Departments.

Emergency Department waiting times are influenced by a range of factors across the health and social care system, which is why we are taking a whole system approach to improvement work.

The evidence does show that Hospital at Home is supporting more people to receive acute-level care in their own homes, helping to avoid hospital admissions where this is clinically appropriate. In 2025-26, more than 17,000 people aged 65 and over received care through Hospital at Home, avoiding a hospital stay, while Public Health Scotland data shows continued growth in activity across Hospital at Home services.

Evaluation of Hospital at Home services is ongoing. The findings from Phase 1 were published in June and are available on the Scottish Government website. Phase 2 will focus on further analysis of Hospital at Home services, including their impact on key NHS Scotland performance indicators and wider system outcomes.

The Scottish Government considers Hospital at Home to be an important part of the solution to reducing pressure on hospitals and improving flow across the health and care system. Evidence published by Healthcare Improvement Scotland demonstrates that Hospital at Home provides a safe and effective alternative to hospital admission for many patients. Its latest annual reporting shows more than 17,000 people aged 65 and over avoided a hospital stay through access to Hospital at Home services across Scotland.

However, as set out in the recently published Health and Care Improving Flow Plan, improving hospital performance requires a whole-system approach. Hospital at Home is one element of a wider package of measures including same-day care, improved discharge processes, frailty services, urgent care redesign and strengthened community-based support.

Together, these measures, supported by Public Health Scotland's evidence showing continued growth in Hospital at Home services, are expected to improve patient flow, reduce pressure on acute services, and contribute to improve Emergency Department performance.

Evaluation of Hospital at Home services is ongoing. The findings from Phase 1 were published in June and are available on the Scottish Government website. Phase 2 will focus on further analysis of Hospital at Home services, including their impact on key NHS Scotland performance indicators and wider system outcomes.

Hospital at Home is an important part of our wider programme to reduce pressure on acute hospitals and improve patient flow across the health and care system. However, we recognise that hospital occupancy and delayed discharge remain significant challenges, reflecting pressures across the whole system.

The Scottish Government has been clear that no one should remain in hospital when they no longer need to be there. Evidence from Healthcare Improvement Scotland shows that Hospital at Home helps prevent delays associated with patients remaining in hospital which is linked to poorer outcomes, including increased risk of hospital-acquired infection, reduced mobility and poorer wellbeing. By providing acute hospital-level care in a person's home, Hospital at Home can support timely discharge and reduce the need for prolonged hospital stays.

The recently published National Flow Plan 2026-2031 sets out a comprehensive programme of action to address these issues. Reducing delayed discharge is one of the Plan's key priorities, with a strengthened focus on Discharge Without Delay, Home First and Discharge to Assess approaches. These models support people to leave hospital as soon as they are clinically ready, with discharge planning beginning on day one of admission and health and social care services working together to ensure patients recover in the most appropriate setting.

Alongside this, we are expanding Hospital at Home, virtual care, online and telephone consultations, remote monitoring and care-at-home services. These alternatives to inpatient care will help ensure more people can receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time, reducing demand for hospital beds where clinically appropriate.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring the people of Scotland can access NHS services that meet their needs and provide the highest standard of care. Patients are at the heart of our NHS, and everyone in Scotland has the right to expect safe, appropriate and person-centred healthcare. Hospital at Home is an important part of Scotland's wider approach to improving patient flow and reducing avoidable hospital admissions, particularly for older people who would otherwise require an acute hospital bed.

While it is not possible to attribute changes in Emergency Department waiting times to any single intervention, evidence shows that Hospital at Home is helping to reduce demand on hospital services. During 2025/26, more than 17,000 people aged 65 and over received care through Hospital at Home, avoiding a hospital admission. Public Health Scotland data also shows continued growth in activity, with over 7,500 patients treated between February and April 2026 and a 20% increase in the number of patients treated between November 2025 and April 2026.

Emergency Department performance is influenced by a range of factors across the whole health and social care system, including unscheduled care demand, hospital occupancy levels, delayed discharge and workforce pressures. The expansion of Hospital at Home therefore forms part of a broader programme of reform aimed at improving patient flow and reducing pressure on acute services. Together, these measures are intended to improve patient flow across the system and support reductions in Emergency Department waiting times.

We continue to monitor and evaluate the contribution of Hospital at Home and other improvement programmes as part of our wider efforts to improve patient flow and reduce pressures across Scotland's health and care system.

Health Boards continue to report rising demand for health services as a result of Scotland's ageing population and the increasing acuity and complexity of patients' care needs.

Hospital at Home is designed to provide acute-level care in a person's own home where it is clinically safe and appropriate to do so, offering an alternative to inpatient admission. Evidence from Public Health Scotland and Healthcare Improvement Scotland shows that the programme is enabling increasing numbers of people to receive treatment at home and avoid a hospital stay.

Public Health Scotland's latest publication (June 2026) shows that NHS Boards continue to expand capacity, with more than 7,500 patients receiving Hospital at Home care between February and April 2026. The report also highlights a 20% increase in the number of patients treated across Hospital at Home services between November 2025 and April 2026.

The Health and Care Improving Flow Plan 2026-2031 sets out the urgent action that is required to prepare for the period of surge that is expected in our hospitals over the winter.

The plan recognizes corridor care is unacceptable, and is best tackled through reducing overcrowding in hospitals. Reducing delayed discharge is one of the most effective actions available to increase capacity, reduce overcrowding, improve patient experience and prepare services for winter demand. That’s why the plan asks all Health Boards to make improving discharge and reducing delays in acute hospitals an immediate priority. By winter 2026-27, every Board is expected to have implemented the core principles of the Discharge Without Delay approach and established improvement trajectories for discharge performance and average length of stay.

Vaccination also remains a key part of our approach to winter preparedness. We are working with Health Boards and partners to strengthen this year's winter vaccination programme and maximise uptake among eligible groups. A national public information campaign will support this effort, encouraging people to come forward for vaccination when invited, helping to reduce serious illness.

Responses to the consultation on Mandatory Calorie Labelling in the Out of Home Sector in Scotland highlighted the need for further evidence on the potential impacts that calorie information may have on people with lived and living experience of an eating disorder. We are working with Food Standards Scotland and Public Health Scotland to review the available evidence and consider the potential impacts of this policy.

Food Standards Scotland has been monitoring the evidence base to understand more about how the display of calorie information in out of home setting may impact those living with or susceptible to an eating disorder. A programme of research on this issue, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research is due to conclude at the end of this year.

The data required to answer this question is not held or collected by the Scottish Government.

While Public Health Scotland holds data on adults admitted to psychiatric or general/acute hospitals for treatment, there is no information collected on those treated in other settings, including in outpatient and primary care settings. As a result, available data is likely to substantially undercount the number of adults that have received treatment for an eating disorder in Scotland over the period requested.

It would therefore be misleading to use the data currently available from Public Health Scotland to answer the question.

The Scottish Government recognises the wider considerations associated with GLP-1 weight loss medication use in relation to people with eating disorders.

The Scottish Government’s National Eating Disorders Network has committed to establish a short-life working group to consider potential issues relating to GLP-1 medication and eating disorders. With work expected to begin over the coming months, the group will bring together expertise to develop understanding of this evolving area and help inform appropriate next steps.

NHS inform provides information and advice on diabetes and weight loss medication, including advising people with an eating disorder to speak to a healthcare professional if they are considering taking weight loss medication.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) make clear that these medicines are prescription-only and should be prescribed by a registered healthcare professional and under appropriate medical supervision. Seeking appropriate clinical advice helps to ensure that treatment is suitable for an individual's circumstances and can be used safely.

It is important that prescription-only medicines are obtained from regulated sources, as medicines obtained through unregulated sources may not meet the required standards of safety and quality.

In line with the recommendation from the National Review of Eating Disorder Services, the National Eating Disorders Network was established in 2024 to help improve training, skills development, and public health strategies.

We are currently delivering on the medium and longer term recommendations with the help of the Network including:

• Supporting implementation of the Specification by assessing Health Boards’ needs and collecting relevant data through an audit tool.
• Producing content for NHS inform, providing free and accessible information and advice on eating disorders for people in Scotland.
• Developing and delivering further training for NHS colleagues.
• Working with partners in hosting regular webinars for clinicians, carers and people with lived experience from across Scotland.
• Engaging with stakeholders to discuss our approach to GLP-1 weight loss medications, in respect of eating disorders.
• Engaging with stakeholders on data collection and reporting, to understand how best to support them in this area.