A young goalie who has a condition which makes him prone to regular chest infections is benefiting from an ever-expanding ‘hospital at home’ programme.

Ollie Doran, 11, who requires regular intravenous antibiotics, is one of an increasing number of patients of all ages in the Lanarkshire region who receives care at home from mobile teams of clinicians – instead of visiting hospital.

Doran, who also has ADHD and struggles with the sensory overload of a hospital setting, can now enjoy a more stable routine with his football training and pals – described by his mum Karen as ‘his happy place’.

“Hospital admissions affected every part of family life,” she said.

“They meant time away from home, extra travelling and trying to juggle everything around Ollie’s treatment. But for Ollie himself, the biggest thing was losing that sense of normality.

“Routine is really important to him. Football is his happy place. His teammates are his friends and those social connections are a huge part of his confidence and development. Every time he had to go into hospital, all of that stopped.”

Ollie, who plays for Coatbridge City FC, became one of the first children to benefit from NHS Lanarkshire’s Paediatric Hospital at Home service.

Instead of spending up to two weeks on a hospital ward, specialist children’s nurses brought his hospital treatment to him.

When the hospital at home service was first introduced 15 years ago, it was initially used by older, frailer patients. Now, thanks to an expanding community-based offer of multi-disciplinary medical teams, its reach has been expanded into paediatrics, respiratory, antimicobrial therapy and an increasing range of virtual and remote digital services.

Alison Thewliss MSP, minister for community care, recently visited University Hospital Wishaw to see how the service was working.

She said: “I would like to thank all of the staff from this wide range of specialties who are working together to deliver Hospital at Home. NHS Lanarkshire has pioneered this work and I am delighted that University Hospital Wishaw is continuing to lead on this important initiative.

“Across Scotland more than 7,500 patients were accepted into services between February and April this year. We have invested an additional £100 million to build on the progress made and help build the largest ‘hospital’ in the country.  

“Meeting Ollie and hearing his story brought home exactly why this matters. Advances in Lanarkshire demonstrate how collaboration, innovation and technology are reshaping the future of health and care across Scotland.”

The visit showcased how closer collaboration between these services is driving the next phase of hospital at home. By bringing together specialist expertise, digital technology and multidisciplinary teams, NHS Lanarkshire is creating new opportunities to deliver more personalised care, improve patient experience and ensure more people can receive specialist treatment at home whenever it is safe and appropriate.

The visit also provided an opportunity to discuss future ambitions for hospital at home, including continued service development, greater use of digital technology, continued workforce development and stronger partnerships across health and social care to make hospital-level care at home available to even more people.

Claire Ritchie, service director of Interface, NHS Lanarkshire, said: “Fifteen years ago, hospital at home challenged the traditional assumption that people experiencing acute illness always needed to come into hospital.

“That original idea has grown into something much bigger. What started as pioneering care for older people living with frailty has evolved into an integrated programme delivering hospital-level care across people’s lives – from childhood to later life – and bringing together specialist teams from across NHS Lanarkshire.”