The record number of patients treated in home hospitalisation, 10,037, represented an increase of 12.3% compared to 2022, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

“The installed capacity stood at 352 beds, 4.1% more compared to 2022 and the equivalent of a medium-sized hospital”, he added.

According to the ministry, home hospitalization has been a focus of the National Health Service in recent years, “with positive results for patients and institutions”.

Last year, the home response “made it possible to reduce the average length of stay in hospital from 9.9 to 9.7 days, estimating a saving of 97,513 days of hospital stay”, which represents a gain for patients in “ comfort, safety and autonomy” and advantages in organizing hospital stays.

The service is provided by multidisciplinary teams, operating in 36 NHS units, which, in 2023, made 130,136 visits to patients' homes, an increase of 14% compared to 2022.

“These home admissions recorded an efficiency rate of 49.73%, thus representing half of the average costs for these patients in a hospital context”, said the statement.