Whittington Islington Hospital at Home

Patient Information Leaflet

What is the Whittington Islington Hospital at Home?

• It is a service that gives you hospital-level care in the comfort of your own home. It helps you get better safely at home.
• It is designed for people who are unwell, but stable enough to stay at home.
• If you’re already in the hospital, it can help you go home sooner.
• A team of healthcare professionals will visit or contact you regularly to make sure you get the care and support you need. These will include:
  • Doctors
  • Nurses
  • Therapists
  • Pharmacists
• You will still stay in touch with the Doctors and Nurses, just like in the hospital.

Our team

• Our multidisciplinary team includes GPs, Consultants, Advanced Care Practitioners, Senior Nurses, Paramedics, Pharmacists, Health Care Assistants, Physiotherapists and Occupational therapists.

Why have I been referred to the Whittington Islington Hospital at Home?

• You are either recovering from an illness or currently managing a health condition.
• Your hospital Doctor has assessed you and said that you can go home, with our support, as a safe alternative to being in hospital.
• With your permission, the Doctor will pass all your important information onto us.

What can the Whittington Islington Hospital at Home do for me?

• Depending on your needs, a clinician will visit you at home to assess your condition.
• They will ask about your health, any recent changes, and any new symptoms you may have noticed.
• They may also carry out physical checks or do blood tests to better understand your state of health.
• Our team will then discuss your case and recommend any treatments or refer you to other teams if needed.
• We will explain everything to you clearly and make sure you are involved in all decisions about your care.
• If your mobility (moving and/or walking) has been affected by illness or injury, an Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist will visit you.
• They can provide equipment (such as walking aids) or adaptions to make day to day life at home easier. The therapists will also be involved in assessing whether you need carer support.
• If you need extra support while you recover, we can arrange for a healthcare assistant to help you for a short period.
• This might include help with washing, dressing, using the toilet, preparing meals, or reminding you to take your medication.

Remote monitoring under Hospital at Home

• Remote monitoring allows us to support you safely at home using health monitoring devices.
• By reviewing your readings daily, clinicians can track your recovery and identify any concerns early, allowing timely support if you become unwell.
• You will receive devices with instructions on how to set them up and use them.
• During your care, your readings will be monitored daily by the clinical team, and we will contact you regularly by phone to check on your progress.
• A clinician will also visit you at least once. If your readings show any concerns, we will contact you and provide advice and support as needed.

Does this mean I no longer need to go back to hospital?

• Although we aim to treat you at home, this may not always be possible.
• If you need tests that can only be done in the hospital, like x-rays or scans, you might have to go in.
• You may also need to go to the hospital if your health changes and it’s not safe to stay at home.
• Our service does not replace your regular hospital or outpatient clinic appointments.
• If you have any planned appointments while you are unwell, we can advise you if they need to be rearranged.

How long will I stay on the Whittington Islington Hospital at Home for?

• This depends on how quickly you recover. In general, we can look after you in your own home for up to 14 days.
• Once you are well enough to be discharged from our service, we will send a letter to you and your GP with details of the treatment and care we provided.
• If you need ongoing support, we can help arrange follow-up appointments with other community services.
• If it looks like you’ll need long-term personal care, we will work with Adult Social Services to put the right support in place.
• We will discuss all the options with you in detail.

Who do I contact about my care, while I am with the Whittington Islington Hospital at Home team?

• While you are being cared for by the Hospital at Home, you can call one of our clinicians on 020 7288 3670, then choose ‘option 1’.
• You can call any day between 8am and 8pm.
• If you have an urgent problem outside these hours or in a life-threatening emergency, call 999 straight away.
• For questions about medicines, please contact the Whittington Medicines Information Centre on 020 7288 5758 (Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm).

Your visit summary

You were seen today by: ………………………………………………………
(Please circle the role of the person who saw you: Nurse / Occupational Therapist / Physiotherapist / Health Care Assistant / Therapy Assistant / GP)

Your first appointment was on: ………………………………………………

Your first care call was on: …………………………... at ………… AM / PM

Carers will visit you ……. times a day, up until ………………………………

Note: While Hospital at Home is looking after you, your regular care service (or Package of Care - POC) will pause. Hospital at Home will take care of you instead. Your usual care will start again when you leave the Hospital at Home. If you pay for your own carer, they can keep helping you during this time.

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