Paddington hospital treats patients in the community

Jan Hitchcock, senior clinical nurse specialist, said: "Before OHPAT patients with chronic infections would have had to stay in hospital for the duration of their treatment.

"Our service gives patients much more autonomy, which aids recovery, because they are in their own, familiar surroundings."

The OHPAT service sees patients with chronic conditions - such as bone, vascular or prosthetic joint infections - who each have a course of intravenous antibiotics for six weeks or more.

The service also manages patients requiring shorter courses of treatment, for example people with chronic urinary tract infections.

Patients are visited at home daily by a district nurse and have a hospital review once a week with an OHPAT clinical nurse specialist.

As well as high levels of patient satisfaction, the risk of acquiring healthcare-associated infection is also reduced by being managed at home.

William Hutcheson and his partner Pat from Maida Vale know the OHPAT team very well having used the service on three separate occasions.

Mr Hutcheson, 62, confined to a wheelchair following an accident many years ago, had developed infected sores on his heels and sacrum - meaning he had to have intravenous antibiotics for several months.

Pat credits the OHPAT service as having "saved William's life".

She said: "We got the best treatment possible. The team was incredibly professional and supportive, always ready to listen and they put us in touch with the right people."

Pat felt that being managed at home speeded up William's recovery too.

He said:"I can't fault the team in any way. They talked to me like a human being and a friend, rather than a patient."