Using hospital at home to reduce admissions.

In the UK at present there is a constant pressure for inpatient beds; with this comes a need to develop services so that patients can be managed in their own homes. Although community nursing has historically been synonymous with district nursing, with the ageing population and the need to manage the increasing numbers of patients who have long-term conditions, community nursing is changing. This article describes a hospital in the home service, developed by one NHS trust; it not only delivers care traditionally provided in hospitals, but is also an effective setting for student nurses to undertake practice placements.