NHS Fife to expand hospital-at-home care to 125 virtual beds

A business case approved by the board promises remote monitoring and an estimated £2m a year in savings.

Daily Alba · 2 October 2026 · 2 min read

Illustrative image of a home health-monitoring tablet and blood pressure cuff. Illustrative image, not a photograph of the reported event.

More patients in Fife are to be treated in their own homes after NHS Fife approved a business case to expand its Hospital Without Walls initiative, Fife Today reports.

Virtual beds

The ambition is to provide up to 125 virtual beds, with clinicians using remote monitoring technology to track patients’ health while they stay at home.

Expected benefits

A report to the board estimated a recurring benefit of around £2 million a year from reduced surge-bed use and associated staffing costs, as well as improvements to patient experience and hospital flow.

Safeguards

The model keeps consultant responsibility, multidisciplinary review and escalation routes. Director of nursing Gillian McAuley said the plan takes a whole-system approach.

Source & attribution: This original report is based on Fife Today (Local Democracy Reporting Service), published 2 October 2026. This is not independent on-the-ground reporting.