Taking the pressure off

The Opportunity for Home Healthcare in Today's NHS

23rd November 2011

A report released today by Bupa Home Healthcare discusses the potential for the NHS to save £1.7bn through greater utilisation of home healthcare.

The report, supported by Rt Hon Lord Warner, demonstrates the benefits of home healthcare both in terms of large financial savings and improved patient experience and satisfaction. Analysis has identified that large savings can be made through the earlier discharge of patients to their own homes as well as reductions in the number of readmissions that occur after discharge.

In addition to the large savings that can be made we have identified that there are up to 1.3 million patients every year staying in hospital longer than necessary. Through greater utilisation of home healthcare the NHS could save over 14.5 million bed days a year, which could significantly help to ease capacity pressures and reduce waiting lists.

To concentrate solely on the financial benefits of home healthcare is to ignore the individual benefits to patients that home healthcare brings. Contained throughout the report are real-life case studies of individual patients whose treatment and care on the NHS has been transformed through the use of home healthcare.

Click here to read the full report

Click here to read the methodology statement