August 19, 2026
A Ballyclare family has praised the Northern Trust’s Hospital at Home service for the care and support provided to their mother, while the Trust has confirmed it has expanded the service.
The community-based service provides hospital-level care to people in their own home setting, with patients being cared for by a visiting team of health professionals, including nurses, pharmacists, allied health professionals and a clinical consultant.
Hospital at Home was initially launched in a limited number of Care Homes in the East Antrim area at the end of 2025, but the service has now been extended to support eligible people living in their own homes, allowing more patients to benefit from expert care without the need for a hospital stay.
The expansion comes as the Trust begins preparations for the increased pressures of winter, helping ensure more people can receive the right care in the right place while easing demand on hospital services.
In the longer term, the Northern Trust would like to continue developing the Hospital at Home model, making the service available to even more patients in other parts of the Trust area.
Jacqui Armstrong, Director of Allied Health Professions (AHPs), Intermediate Care and Integrated Discharge, said: “The response to our Hospital at Home programme has been incredibly positive. Patients and their families have told us what a difference it has made to receive high-quality care in familiar surroundings, and our clinical teams have demonstrated that this model of care delivers excellent outcomes.
“Expanding the service into more care homes, as well as into people’s own homes is an important milestone. As we prepare for winter, it will help us provide more care closer to home while supporting our hospitals to care for those who need inpatient treatment most. This is just the beginning of our ambition to grow Hospital at Home and make it available to even more people in the years ahead.”
Cheryl Lamont, whose mother, Nan McVicker (93) received care through the programme, said: “Mum was very ill but they explained to us that they were going to make a referral to Hospital at the Home – we had never heard of the service so they explained what it was.
“The Consultants from the hospital were then out with mum a very short time later and they spent quite a bit of time with her as she needed intravenous drugs, et cetera.
“It was such a marvellous service for mum. I would just like to say a huge thank you to the team. As a family we couldn’t commend it highly enough.”
The Hospital at Home team provides assessment, treatment and ongoing monitoring for patients whose care would traditionally have required admission to hospital. By delivering care closer to home, the service supports independence, improves the patient experience and helps ensure hospital beds remain available for those who need them most.