Home is where the care is? Experiences of people receiving care in their home - September 2025
This project explored whether community healthcare services (primarily) are accessible/available to people who are classified as being housebound, meeting their needs, and what improvements can be made to better meet these needs.
From speaking to people and gathering experiences it became evident that whilst the GP is considered the gatekeeper of services, people spoke about how mental health services, social care, and hospitals also played an important role in referring and providing care in people’s homes.
The findings have been grouped under six themes: registration process, the appointment, involvement in decisions about care, challenges, attitudes and smart technology.
Key recommendations from the report include:
- Portable ECG machines and other equipment should be available in all GP practices so these procedures can be carried out in people’s homes.
- The criteria for people who are housebound should be consistent to provide equity of access for ECGs, vaccinations, blood pressure checks etc.
- A clear system to flag that someone has specific needs and adjustments and adopted across all GP practices.
"My daughter's agoraphobia started in 2020, and she was 19 at the time - although the GP surgery knew that she was autistic and had mental health problems, it felt quite hard initially to get the information across as it was 'new'."
