VIRTUAL WARDS PROJECT - AN ALTERNATIVE WAY TO CARE

Our new Virtual Wards are a safe and efficient alternative to ‘traditional’ NHS care, that usually takes place in a hospital setting, and are enabled by utilising the latest technology.

These new Virtual Wards, that specialise in Frailty, Respiratory and Heart Failure support patients who would otherwise be in an acute hospital bed, to receive the hospital standard care, monitoring and support they need in the comfort and familiar environment of their own home. They also help to prevent avoidable admissions into hospital or supporting early discharge out of hospital.

Kim Ashall, Head of Virtual Wards, said: “After much hard work and preparation, working alongside our local health and care partners, we are really excited to have launched virtual ward services for our patients. It’s still early days on our virtual ward journey and as the service develops, across the next year, it is expected that we will be able to offer a wide range of virtual ward services to our patients.”

Dr Deyo Okubadejo, Clinical Lead for Virtual Wards said: “Not everyone requires a hospital stay - our virtual wards will ensure that we can continue to monitor an individual’s health within their home, while at the same time making the very best use of the space we have in our hospitals.”

Helping our frailty patients go home sooner: Focus on our frailty virtual ward

Eligible frail patients who would otherwise have needed to be kept in hospital are now being supported at home. This new virtual ward is helping to reduce frail patients’ length of stay in hospital or, in some cases, avoiding the need for hospitalisation altogether, but ensuring they still get the same standard of care at home.

Our frailty virtual ward model was launched in December 2022, funded by the Peterborough and Cambridgeshire Integrated Care System, and delivered in partnership with the Greater Peterborough Network. The aim of the virtual ward was to offer something which was a true hospital at home service – taking patients who would not normally have been considered suitable for discharge, into the community. Of the first 64 patients referred to the virtual ward, just eight were thought to be better off remaining in hospital. Those treated at home spent an average of 5.8 days admitted to the virtual ward which of course meant 6 days less in hospital. Readmission rates have been in line with the in-hospital frailty ward at about 20 per cent. One such patient, who benefited from the Frailty Virtual Ward, is the ward’s first patient, 90-year-old, Lawrence Hall.

Mr Hall was admitted onto the Frailty

Virtual Ward after attending Peterborough City Hospital’s Emergency Department following several falls and contracting a urinary tract infection. Lawrence spent five days on the virtual ward and received care at home from community nurses from Greater Peterborough Network, before being deemed well enough to be discharged, care that previously would have been provided in hospital.

Mr Hall commented on his stay on the virtual ward, saying, “I am very happy with the service I received and felt happier being able to receive care at home and avoid a stay in hospital. I would recommend this service to anyone.”