Virtual wards
A virtual ward is a way of giving support to people in their own homes who might have been in hospital. The idea in England was started in Croydon in 2006. It won four prizes at the 2006 Health Service Journal Awards[1]
Sometimes this is done to keep people out of hospital, and sometimes to get them out.
There is regular communication with nurses and doctors, some by telephone and some electronic. They will check the persons measurements so they can see if they are getting better or worse. Patients are reviewed daily and the ‘ward round’ may involve a home visit or take place through video technology.
NHS England said in April 2022 it wanted to have at least 40 virtual beds per 100,000 population by December 2023.[2]
The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom caused huge pressure on hospitals. Remote patient monitoring using pulse oximeters meant that Covid patients could be kept out of hospital. The oximeter readings went into an app which analysed them in case medical attention was required.[3] More virtual wards for other problems were started. In December 2022 there were about 10,000 patients treated in these “virtual” beds.[4]
References
- ↑ "Public Services Awards 2007 – winners and runners up", The Guardian, 2 October 2007, retrieved 26 February 2014
- ↑ Trivedi, Shruti Sheth. "NHS recruits private providers to help drive virtual ward expansion". Health Service Journal. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
- ↑ "Interview: How innovative technology is enabling COVID patients to recover at home". www.buildingbetterhealthcare.com. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
- ↑ Hignett, Katherine. "U.K. To Offer More Home Care As Emergency Care Crisis Persists". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-02-06.