Hospital at Home Patient Experience - Bridget Henry

Bridget Henry took unwell over Christmas 2023, unfortunately developing pneumonia.

“The GP originally thought it was norovirus as I had vomited and had a fever but after a restless night and pain in my lung the doctor came back out. He realised that this was not norovirus and suggested I went to hospital or have Hospital at Home to be treated for pneumonia.

I had previously known about Hospital at Home as my husband was treated at home in his last few months, so I trusted them to do a good job at looking after me which is why I opted to be treated at home.”

Bridget lives at home with her daughter and main carer, Brenda Green.

Brenda stated  “I knew mum could get the same level of care and attention in her own surroundings and home. If you are vulnerable like my mum, I think it is a better option to stay at home and be treated, if possible, rather than risk catching other infections in a hospital”.

Bridget describes her experience with Hospital at Home.

“Hospital at home came out to see me the same afternoon. They did all my observations, took my blood and put me on oxygen. I was also given some antibiotics to take. The Hospital at Home staff noticed I had an infection which showed in my bloods over a couple of days and so they wanted me to go to hospital so I could be put onto an IV antibiotic drip and have a CT scan which could not be carried out at home.”

Going to hospital

“Since I was on oxygen I had to be transported to the hospital via an ambulance which the team booked for me, they informed the hospital that I was coming and was told I would not need to wait when I got to the hospital. When I arrived at hospital they had no idea I was supposed to be arriving with them and so I had to wait four hours in A&E. This was my only negative experience of the care I received.

I originally did not want to go to hospital as it was Christmas and I wanted to be with my family so I felt a bit panicked by the thought of going into hospital. My daughter also would have preferred me to stay home as my immune system was weaker than normal and she was worried I may pick up something else in hospital.”

Coming home

“When I got out of hospital I had a doctor visit me the following day as I still needed Hospital at Home for my oxygen levels. He did an electrocardiogram (ECG), took all my observations and took bloods all from the comfort of my own bed. He was extremely efficient with what he checked and asked for. Hospital at Home continued after this and they came out every second day.

The nurses would come in the morning to see me and then ring late afternoon/early evening to give results of any tests that had been done in the morning, this was really reassuring.”

Her daughter Brenda said  “It helped as I didn’t have to chase anyone, they always kept me in the loop at every single stage. It freed up a lot of my time as I wasn’t having to chase anyone and it was reassuring knowing they were so on the ball”.

My experience

“My experience with Hospital at Home was excellent. I have felt supported as they checked everything that could have been done in a hospital but they did it in my own bedroom. They gave me pain relief and made me feel comfortable. It felt better knowing I was at home with my family around me.

I had no fears or concerns related to Hospital at Home as I trust the NHS. I knew the level of care they can provide and if it was beyond their remit of what could be done at home then hospital would be the next option.

The team were so friendly and they explained everything at every stage. They gave leaflets for information and contacts. I always felt involved in my day-to-day care.”

Brenda added  “I appreciated that the team would call me with the updates on an evening about my mums test results. She can sometimes be a bit forgetful and would maybe miss bits out if they directly called her. It helped a lot so that I could ask any questions at that time too and always be kept in the loop so I could let the rest of the family know”.

“Whilst I was in the hospital for a few days there was not enough nursing staff meaning Brenda had to come and shower me, so having the hospital at home made it easier for her to do the same tasks she was doing but without the travel to hospital.

I would recommend Hospital at Home to anyone able to use this service. It was far better for me to sleep at night in my own bed and have my daughter cook dinner for me. I was able to watch the TV and not be disturbed during the night which helped my recovery too.”