‘Hospital-level care at home for our sick baby was amazing’

A family whose baby was treated for a kidney infection have praised a national scheme that allowed him to receive hospital-level care in his own home.

Chris and Rachel McGrady’s baby Jude developed a kidney infection that would have required a week’s stay in hospital for the youngster to be on intravenous antibiotics, but he was able to be discharged early with the help of the Hospital at Home programme.

The programme expanded last November to include children and babies, with 340 youngsters treated by neonatal and paediatric services since its roll-out.

Jude's parents noticed he had become lethargic and was running a high temperature — Jude’s parents noticed he had become lethargic and was running a high temperature Rachel McGrady

Mum-of-two Rachel says it has saved the family from “splitting themselves in three” while balancing work and also caring for Jude’s three-year-old sister Heidi.

She said: “The difference in being able to have Jude treated by Hospital at Home was invaluable and I can’t praise the service highly enough.”

The couple, from Lanarkshire, first noticed Jude had become lethargic and developed a high temperature.

Doctors initially suspected a urine infection and he was transferred from University Hospital Monklands to the paediatric unit at University Hospital Wishaw.

Jude had developed a kidney infection which would require intravenous antibiotics STV News

After spending a few days in hospital and receiving oral antibiotics, Jude was discharged.

But a urine culture later revealed he had a kidney infection caused by a resistant strain of bacteria, meaning he needed a course of intravenous antibiotics and was readmitted.

Jude’s mum Rachel said: “I had stayed in Wishaw hospital for a couple of nights with him while he was being treated and then we were discharged.

“But the tests then showed he had an unusual strain of a kidney infection and would need to go back to hospital for a week.

“We’d been home for a couple of days but they said, ‘You have to come back in’.”

With Chris working full-time and the couple also having Heidi to care for, Rachel was concerned about how they would manage.

After being back in hospital for a couple of days, staff suggested that Hospital at Home could be an option for the family, which would allow them to take Jude home to continue his treatment.

Rachel said: “It saved us splitting ourselves in three. Chris was still trying to go to his work, hospital and be there for Heidi. It helped us keep normality and a bedtime routine.

“We were able to take him home with a cannula in his hand and the Hospital at Home staff came in each morning for the next few days to give him his antibiotic and check on him. It meant no upheaval for us and I was able to stay at home to take care of our daughter.”

The Hospital at Home team carried out regular checks on Jude’s temperature and heart rate and encouraged the family to raise any concerns with them.

Chris said: “The staff were great. They were coming in the morning, which saved you having to rush around trying to get childcare for Heidi and take her to nursery. It let me go to my work.”

“The difference in being able to stay at home was huge for us and I couldn’t have asked for better support from the Hospital at Home team.”

Rachel added: “I think it’s amazing. It’s really easy to feel everything getting on top of you when you’re not seeing anybody normally and your whole life is focused on treatment.

“It’s a brilliant service and a brilliant team. They get a better idea of us as people. I think it would be massive for other families.”

Now aged six months, Jude is thriving, with tests showing the infection has completely cleared.

“He’s known as ‘the smiler.’ Sleeps and laughs, that’s all he does. He’s a happy baby,” Chris said.

Jude is now happy and thriving after his treatment STV News

A report by Healthcare Improvement Scotland, the organisation responsible for supporting the national Hospital at Home programme, shows 340 babies and children were seen by neonatal and paediatric Hospital at Home services between November last year and April 2026.

The new services were set up in Lanarkshire, Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Tayside. NHS Forth Valley is to launch a paediatric Hospital at Home service later this year with several other health boards set to follow.

The development in extending the service to paediatrics marks a significant step forward in delivering care closer to home for children and their families.

Belinda Robertson, associate director of improvement support at Healthcare Improvement Scotland, said:

“We are delighted to see the huge benefits that Hospital at Home is now bringing to young people and their families.

“Research tells us that a hospital admission is a stressful experience for adults and children. People commonly mention being separated from family and friends, and being away from the things around them that help them live their life normally.

“We have seen from the beginning the benefits that Hospital at Home can bring in allowing adults to stay within the familiarity of their own homes.

“To have a set up that now also allows a child to be treated within their own home environment, kept with their parents and siblings, is fantastic and I look forward to seeing this situation rolled out further across the country.”

The report shows that the continued expansion of Hospital at Home services across Scotland has prevented over 17,000 people having to stay in hospital for treatment in the last year and saved more than £60m in healthcare costs.

The typical number of hospital at home admissions rose by almost a third to 378 admissions per week in 2025/2026. More than 800 extra hospital beds and 530 care home admissions would have been required over the year if hospital at home services did not exist.

Alison Thewliss MSP, Minister for Community Care, said: “I have recently seen first-hand the positive impact that Hospital at Home is having. The service is now truly coming into its own, enabling children and babies to receive treatment in the comfort of their own homes and familiar surroundings, helping to ease the burden on families during what can already be a very stressful time.

“Across Scotland more than 7,500 patients were accepted into services between February and April this year. We have invested an additional £100m to build on the progress made and help build the largest ‘hospital’ in the country.”