LONDON, February 9 /PRNewswire/ -- The NHS could save GBP1.2bn through the free provision of home-based hospital care, a new report, Hospital care at home by Healthcare at Home Ltd and Dr Foster has shown.

Home-based hospital care is increasingly regarded as a key solution to the NHS's capacity problem, with Prime Minister Gordon Brown committing to provide free one-to-one care for all cancer patients and elderly people as a central plank of their election manifesto.

The report Hospital care at home reveals that extending home-based healthcare in the following services to a wider group of patients could represent savings in England of:

    
    - GBP180 - GBP210m for long-term and other selected ambulatory care
      sensitive (ACS) conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease (COPD)

    - GBP217m - GBP837m for enhanced supported discharge

    - GBP46m - GBP73m for specialised cancer services (specifically, enabling
      chemotherapy at home)

    - GBP160m for end-of-life care

    - GBP540m - GBP1.2bn for the four services combined.

Andrew Donald, Chief Operating Officer at NHS Birmingham East and North says, "The NHS knows it has to deliver services in a radically different way if we are to meet demands for improved quality in straightened economic circumstances. Creating NHS services that fit the personal circumstances of everyone in east and north Birmingham - but particularly those from disadvantaged communities - is our joint objective."

Charles Walsh, Chairman of Healthcare at Home Ltd says, "For ever-increasing numbers of patients, hospital continues to be the default option for getting treatment. We should be asking ourselves, are they in hospital for the right reason? This report gives a conservative estimate of the many thousands of patients who could benefit from being treated at home, at a lesser cost to the NHS and at greater convenience and satisfaction to the patient."

    
    NOTES TO EDITORS

    - The full report, Hospital care at home: supporting independent and
      healthy lives and methodology is available at
      http://www.hah.co.uk/hospitalcareathome or 
      http://www.hospital-care-at-home.co.uk/

    - Healthcare at Home Ltd is the UK's leading provider of hi-tech,
      home-based healthcare. It also delivers innovative on-site services
      throughout the NHS and independent sector.

    For more information, visit http://www.hah.co.uk

    - Dr Foster Intelligence is the UK's market-leading provider of
      information, analysis and targeted communications to health and social
      care organisations.

    For more information, visit http://www.drfoster.co.uk.

    For more information, contact:

    Zoe Bedford
    ZPB Ltd
    +44(0)7799-624132
    zoe@zpb-marketing.com