Digital project keeps patients safely monitored at home A project launched during the pandemic to help patients stay safe at home is being turned into the usual way of providing care. When coronavirus first hit, it was soon clear that people with long term heart and lung conditions were among the most vulnerable. In those pre-vaccine days, there was a premium on keeping them away from possible sources of infection – such as they might experience when travelling to clinics or even staying in hospital. Yet their original conditions were serious and required regular monitoring to ensure their medicines and exercises were working appropriately. Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust and Leicester-based technology company Spirit Digital worked together to launch a series of “virtual wards” to care for these patients.
in familiar surroundings. “It was reassuring that the nurses were monitoring my condition every day, it was like a comfort blanket.” As the number of inpatients with Covid got to its peak, the virtual ward concept was used so that some of them could be discharged home early under supervision while being gradually eased off oxygen.
This involved the patients using simple gadgets at home to measure their vital signs such as blood pressure and oxygen levels, and then communicating these to clinicians who could offer the patients tailored advice to help them.
One of these patients was Philip Walker from Leicester. He said: “Because I had Covid I was just stuck in my hospital bed. I wasn’t allowed any visitors and couldn’t go for a walk, so when I was told I could go home I felt like I’d won the lottery! It was a great relief.”
The results have been patients spending more time in their home surroundings, reduced infection risks, and outcomes which were better than the previous clinicbased way of managing their care. In some cases the virtual wards meant inpatients could leave hospital sooner than expected.
Patients are given access to software which enables them to fill out a daily questionnaire about their symptoms, using their mobile phone or tablet. If they don’t have access to one, they are loaned one for as long as they need it. They are also given a thermometer and an oxygen monitor which clips on to their finger in order to record these details on the system.
Barry James, a heart patient, would advise others to use the technology instead of spending more time in ? hospital. He said: “There’s nothing like being at home 12
Virtual ward patients l-r: Barry James and Philip Walker
Patients are monitored for at least 14 days, and can contact the team at any time if they have concerns.
