Hospital at Home

Hospital@Home and Outpatient Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) service is made up of senior nurses, allied healthcare professionals and paramedics. We provide care to patients in the comfort of their own home or in a local clinic.

We support people who are nearing the end of their treatment or who are well enough to be transfeerred home where our team will either visit them and continue their care or arrange for them to be seen in our clinic. To be suitable for this, patients must meet our criteria. Please ask for more information.

Those further into their recovery may be offered an outpatient clinic appointment, close to their home, where they will be cared for by our OPAT team.

Patients need to be referred to the service by a clinician. They will then be assessed to make sure they’re suitable for treatment at home.  

We expect that most patients who have Hospital@Home care will improve enough to finish their treatment with the OPAT clinic. 

We know that this may not be possible for all Hospital@Home patients, and we will discuss this with you. 

When we first visit your home a member of staff with talk to you about what to expect during each visit. 

We will do our best to visit you within a set timeframe each day and we will let you know when this will be during our first visit. Please understand that sometimes these times may change slightly.  

To give the best possible care, please: 

• Talk to staff about your recovery and follow the medical advice that you are given. If there is anything you don’t understand, please tell us so that we can explain it to you 
• Provide accurate and complete health information about past illnesses, hospital treatments, current medications, allergies, and any changes that occur in your condition 
• Let us know about any outpatient appointments or any other commitments that will mean you will not be in when we visit you 
• Look after any equipment that we loan you as part of your care 
• Keep your medicine in a safe and secure place 

We will discuss your treatment needs and agree appointment times with you. We want you to feel safe and confident in our service and will always involve you in discussions and plans about your care. We will regularly update your doctor, so you don’t need to. 

Each OPAT appointment may last anywhere from one to four hours depending on your treatment. If you are taking medication, please bring it with you. 

Parking information will be given ahead of your first visit. However, you can find us in the following locations:

Broomfield Hospital — View accessibility information about this area on the AccessAble website at https://www.accessable.co.uk/mid-and-south-essex-nhs-foundation-trust/broomfield-hospital/access-guides/b341-opat-clinic-room. 

Southend Hospital — View accessibility information about this area on the AccessAble website at  https://www.accessable.co.uk/mid-and-south-essex-nhs-foundation-trust/southend-university-hospital/access-guides/opat-clinic. 

On very rare occasions when patients are being treated at home, an unexpected problem may occur. An example of an emergency could include: 

• Severe chest pains 
• Breathing difficulties 
• Sudden deterioration in condition 

In an emergency immediately telephone 999 and request an ambulance. If possible, have your Hospital@Home care records available for the ambulance crew. 

If you can please contact your Hospital@Home team on: 

Basildon 01268 394852 

Broomfield 01245 516614 

Southend 01702 435555 extension 8962 

You should contact your Hospital@Home team or OPAT clinic if: 

• You have an unexpected change in your medical condition, such as pain or bleeding 
• You don’t know how to take your medication 
• A dressing becomes loose or is leaking 
• You have a problem with a piece of equipment loaned to you
• A Hospital@Home staff member has not arrived for your appointment
• You will not be available for your planned visit or appointment. 

Contact us 

For more information please don’t hesitate to contact us:  

Basildon 01268 394852 (for H@H) 01245 515919 (for OPAT) 

Broomfield 01245 516614 (for H@H and OPAT) 

Southend 01702 435555 Extension number: 8962 (for H@H) or 6678 (for OPAT).

To find out how we use your information, visit Privacy Policy - what information do we collect and use.