Hospital @ Home helped Burnham-on-Sea patient reclaim his life

After becoming so unwell he could barely breathe, walk or dress himself, Clive Hansard’s quality of live has been dramatically improved by the Hospital at Home team. The team’s care meant that he was able to lose more than 20 kilograms of excess fluid in the comfort of his home, close to his wife and two dogs, instead of in hospital.

Clive, who lives in Burnham-on-Sea, was admitted to Musgrove Park Hospital on 26 January 2026 after becoming critically unwell due to severe fluid overload linked to heart failure and liver cirrhosis, a condition where long term damage to the liver causes scarring and affects how well it works.

At the time, he was experiencing significant symptoms, including abdominal swelling, breathlessness, severe pain and rapid weight gain. At his lowest point, Clive said he had lost all motivation to carry on with normal life.

“I didn’t want to go to work. I didn’t want to go out. I didn’t want to try and walk. I was that fed up of it that I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t get dressed in the mornings. My wife Lorraine had to help me with my socks and trousers. Basically I was so full. My stomach was bloated, my legs were bloated, and it all happened within a couple of weeks.

It was to a point where I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t breathe, and I was putting on all this weight. I had stomach pains, and a lot of leg pain. They even started to weep in the end.”

He was referred to the Hospital at Home team, where he remained under their care for just over eight weeks, an unusually long case for the team, enabling him to continue receiving specialist treatment while recovering in his own home.

[caption id="attachment_7575" align="alignnone" width="900"] Lorraine Hansard, Clive Hansard and Hospital @ Home nurse Jess Cemm[/caption]

“At the beginning we’d never heard of it (Hospital @ Home) before,” he said. “I thought I was being fobbed off. But after a couple of days of the nurses coming in, it was fantastic. Absolutely fantastic.”

Hospital @ Home provides the same treatment and level of care as a patient would receive in hospital, the service can prevent admissions into hospital or can support early discharge out of hospital.

Patients are closely monitored in the comfort and familiarity of their own home by a team of experienced clinicians such as consultants, nurses, therapists, healthcare assistants and social workers.

Monitoring takes place using a variety of methods, tailored to each patient including, telephone or video consultations, or in some cases remote digital monitoring devices.

During his time with the service, the team supported Clive with careful management of his heart failure. This included adjusting his diuretics, also known as water tablets, and introducing Metolazone to help remove excess fluid from his body.

Through closely managed treatment at home, Clive lost more than 20 kilograms of excess fluid and regained control of his symptoms.

“The nurses changed things, increased the doses, and in the end, I went on another drug which was like a fountain of youth. I lost nearly six kilos in about three days.”

Alongside fluid management, the team regularly reviewed and adjusted Clive’s medication, helping to simplify his treatment.

“They’ve taken away three tablets and I don’t feel any worse for it. It felt like it was a tablet to counter another tablet before and some of the medication I was on was actually contributing to fluid retention, so once that changed things improved.”

The care also supported other aspects of his health, including helping him better manage his diabetes. By monitoring his blood sugar levels and adjusting treatment at home, the team helped bring his levels under better control and gave him the confidence to manage this independently.

Clive said: “I got good advice. When the team were here, my sugar levels came down to a reasonable amount. We had lots of blood tests, lots of checks. I even had an ECG done at home, which I thought was amazing.

And they used machines to check my bloods, sometimes my magnesium and potassium were high, so we had to change diet and medications. I came off my high blood pressure tablets because my blood pressure was low, but I was still taking them.”

Having direct access to the team provided reassurance throughout his recovery. “If I phoned, they answered within minutes,” he said.

Receiving care at home made a significant difference to both Clive and Lorraine.

“It’s being at home, being able to do your own thing. At first I could hardly do anything, but at least I felt more relaxed. It was easier for Lorraine not having to go to and from the hospital.”

Lorraine added “In the beginning I wasn’t happy. One minute he’s on death’s door and the next minute you’re going home. But within a matter of days of the nurses coming in, we were saying this is so different, so much better. It was so much easier than trying to fit in around work and everything else and going up to see him at the hospital from Burnham.”

Clive’s decline had been building for months before his admission, affecting even simple activities. He had also been relying on a CPAP machine to help him breathe at night, but as his condition worsened, even that became difficult to manage. Following his treatment, his breathing and sleep has improved so significantly, and he no longer needs the machine.

As his condition improved under the Hospital at Home team, Clive began to regain his independence and confidence.

“I couldn’t even get to the end of the driveway before. Now I can go into town, go for a coffee. We went to Weymouth recently and I realised I hadn’t even used my stick.”

He also made important lifestyle changes following his diagnosis.

“I packed up drinking there and then and I’ve not had a drink since,” he said. “It frightened me that much.”

Clive now continues to manage his condition at home using the advice and tools provided by the team, including monitoring his weight and adjusting medication when needed, as well as being referred to his GP and the cardiology team at Weston for ongoing support and review.

Reflecting on his recovery, he said “It’s made a massive difference to my life.”

[caption id="attachment_7581" align="alignnone" width="900"] Frankie working at the care coordination hub[/caption]

Frankie, a respiratory nurse with the Hospital at Home team, said:

“Compared to when I first met Clive, his quality of life has improved dramatically. For every patient, recovery looks different but seeing the huge difference the team have made to Clive’s wellbeing - it means everything.

We’ve been able to see how he’s got his life back, and it’s been a privilege to be part of the team improving Clive’s physical, emotional and mental health. Clive’s care has been completely holistic, drawing from expertise from our diabetes team to keep Clive at home, recovering in his own surroundings. Research shows that patients recover quicker in the comfort of their own home, enjoying their independence and normal routine.”

Clive praised and thanked the team for their care and dedication.

“I can’t fault them at all,” he said. “It felt like constant support. It’s been brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.”

[caption id="attachment_7577" align="alignnone" width="900"] Jess Cemm with the EPOC machine, which can run comprehensive blood panels right at the patient's bedside with minimal blood[/caption]

Find out more about Hospital@Home - Somerset NHS Foundation Trust