The Lleida health region has expanded its home hospitalisation service to Balaguer, benefiting between 800 and 900 residents with complex chronic illnesses or those living in care homes. This extension covers the area between Lleida city and Balaguer, according to local health officials.
The home hospitalisation team, which operates under the Arnau de Vilanova Hospital, works closely with local services. Previously, it served Lleida city, southern Segrià, and parts of Les Garrigues and Pla d'Urgell. Last year, the service recorded 2,087 admissions, primarily for respiratory infections, officials stated.
Home hospitalisation offers an alternative to conventional hospital stays, providing medical and nursing care of equal quality at the patient's residence. This approach aims to prevent hospital admissions or reduce their duration. The Lleida plain, characterised by its rural nature, dispersed population, and a high proportion of elderly residents with chronic conditions, is considered an ideal area for this service.
Expanding Care Beyond Hospital Walls
Ana Vena, the territorial clinical director for Chronicity and Home Hospitalisation, explained that in an area with "such a density of complex and exacerbated chronic patients, and with so many residential inhabitants, we offer specific care to try and keep them at home." She added that this helps to avoid "the harmful effects that hospitalisation can entail in functional, nutritional, and cognitive aspects."
Beyond respiratory infections, last year's home hospitalisation patients primarily presented with urinary infections, heart failure, and exacerbated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The service also provided follow-up for post-surgical processes and conservative treatments for surgical pathologies. Patients were mainly referred from hospital wards and the Accident and Emergency Department, with a smaller number coming from primary and community care.
The home hospitalisation team supports hospitals, basic health areas, and residential centres. It comprises six full-time doctors, two consultants for general and vascular surgery, eight nurses, one nursing supervisor, and the territorial director. In areas not covered by the service, patients must remain admitted to hospital.
