THE NHS has announced that more patients than ever are seeing benefits from virtual wards and hospital at home innovations.
New data released by the National Health Service shows that more than 85,000 admissions were made to virtual wards last year.
This represents an 18% increase over 2023.
More than 175,000 people in the South East have been cared for through the program since it was instated in April 2022 – more than any other region.
The NHS says that the data confirms the region’s commitment to ensuring patients receive care in the most appropriate and convenient setting to aid their recovery.
This is because virtual wards aim to enable patients to be discharged safely and quickly while receiving hospital-standard care and monitoring from home.
There are over 2,000 virtual ward ‘beds’ in the region, each with teams of healthcare professionals providing face-to-face and remote care thanks to cutting-edge technology.
It’s part of efforts by the NHS to focus on moving care from hospitals into the community.
Virtual wards have many benefits for patients including improving patient outcomes and improving patients’ experience of healthcare.
They have also been shown to prevent hospital admissions and attendance and provide a cost-effective alternative to care, meaning hospital beds are available for those who require in-hospital care, helping the NHS respond to continued growing demand.
Further analysis of the virtual wards programmes show that it led to a significant reduction in the need for emergency services for patients within 28 days of discharge from hospitals, especially for old patients.
The programme treats unwell patients with a range of conditions outside the hospital setting, including providing assessments, medications, scans and blood tests where required.
It has also helped reduce emergency admission rates, with these falling by 73% for adults and 85% for children
NHS England South East’s Medical Director for System Improvement and Professional Standards, Dr Shahed Ahmad, said:
“Virtual wards have an important role to play in shifting care from hospitals into the community and supporting the best outcomes for patients. We can now provide care for a much greater range and number of patients in their own homes, instead of them needing to be admitted to a hospital.
“We know that, by supporting patients to recover at home safely with home comforts and friends and family close by, they can regain their independence and recover well.
“We are incredibly proud of the world-leading virtual wards across the South East, with staff doing a brilliant job, using state of the art technology to monitor patients and provide regular check-ins. It’s a fantastic example of the system working together to provide the best outcomes for patients.”
Elizabeth, 80, was treated on a virtual ward by Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust after contacting 111 feeling unwell.
The Hospital at Home team carried out a clinical assessment and diagnosed pneumonia.
Elizabeth received intravenous antibiotics and monitoring in her own team and was able to recover at home, avoiding a trip to hospital.
Elizabeth, Hospital at Home patient, Frimley, said: “If you go into hospital, at my age, you might catch something else.
“It is much more relaxing at your own home because you can go to bed, have a cup of coffee or whatever whenever you want.’’
