Not long before Christmas last year, Kambah man John Hall fell ill with a high fever and headaches, leading to a trip to Canberra Hospital after he thought he had slipped a disc in his spine.
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John was diagnosed with a treatable, but painful bone infection, after he suffered an infection that had made it into his bloodstream and ultimately, his spine.
But after an initial five days in hospital on an antibiotic drip fighting the infection, medical treatment has since been delivered to him at home, apart from a weekly check-up with a hospital physician.
John was able to take advantage of the ACT Health's Hospital in the Home program, with a daily visit from an experienced registered nurse, who could administer his daily antibiotic dose, allowing him to recover in the comfort of his own home.
He is one of between 20 and 22 patients the program treats everyday, treatment activity which rose 13 per cent in the 2015-16, ACT Health's annual report shows.
"I can't say how much it has really eased the burden on my wife in particular, who was doing all the driving, and my friends who have also been helping out," he said.
"The last three weeks have been much better, but I was quite ill for the first two weeks, mainly with high temperatures and headaches."
"But now the antibiotics have really taken hold in the bloodstream, it feels like I'm on the mend, certainly a number of my friends who regularly see me have said I'm looking a lot better."
John said he believed it had greatly helped his recovery to be at home, sleep in his own bed and have the peace and quiet not always available in a busy ward.
Registered nurse Lorraine Dwyer, one of several working in the program and treating John, said she had worked in the program for six years.
She had stayed for so long, because she enjoyed the varied nature of the work, the fulfilling patient contact and she believed it made a huge difference to outcomes for patients like John.
"In one day, we could be treating a month-old baby and someone who is 100 years old at home and we all have a broad range of experience so we can look after a range of patients' needs."
"It really helps in the recovery process to be able to treat patients at home, I think certainly they recover a lot quicker," Ms Dwyer said.
"It's not just easing pressure on the hospital, but there are other benefits for the patient, we know they sleep better in their own bed, there is less noise at home, and they have a reduced risk of re-infection.
"There are (also) mental health benefits for patients being able to recover in their own surroundings."
She said if the service was not available, a patient like John would have had to stay in hospital for the full six-week course of antibiotics.
Ms Dwyer said before a patient could be treated at home, nurses also did an "off-campus assessment" of the home to be sure there were no other hazards or issues that might hinder recovery.
John said he'd also learnt a lot through the experience of being able to ask questions of nurses at home about what was happening to him.
"Knowing there's also a nurse on the end of a mobile phone 24 hours a day, just in case I need help or some advice has helped too," he said.
John, whose daily antibiotic treatment should finish this week, said he was looking forward to having a shower without an IV in his arm.
"I sent my wife off for a week at the coast to relax, after everything she's done," he said.
"I hope to head down there to the coast to see her, once I can."
