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Showing results for tags 'Virtual ward'.
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News Article
More than 100,000 treated on ‘virtual wards’
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
More than 100,000 patients, including children, have been treated in so-called virtual wards over the last year, NHS officials have said. Leading medics said that the use of the system to monitor patients at home has been a “real game changer”. Officials say virtual wards can help patients avoid unnecessary hospital trips altogether, or enable them to be sent home from hospital sooner. Using various equipment and technology, clinicians can monitor vital signs such as a patients’ heart rate, oxygen levels and temperature remotely. NHS England’s national medical director, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, said: “The advantages of virtual wards for both staff and patients have been a real game-changer for the way hospital care is delivered and so it is a huge achievement that more than 100,000 patients have been able to benefit in the last year alone, with the number of beds up by nearly two thirds in less than a year. “With up to a fifth of emergency hospital admissions estimated to be avoided through better supporting vulnerable patients at home and in the community, these world-leading programmes are making a real difference not just to the people they directly benefit but also in reducing pressure on wider services.” Read full story Source: The Independent. 11 March 2023 -
Content ArticleHTN Now hosted a panel discussion on virtual wards and the future of remote patient care, with guests Tara Donnelly (director of digital care models at NHS England), Sam Jackson (clinical services manager for the Virtual Health Hub at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust) and Jamie Innes (product director at Inhealthcare).
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News Article
Virtual wards set up ‘to save A&E’ only staffed 12 hours a day
Patient_Safety_Learning posted a news article in News
Virtual wards, set up to relieve pressure on A&E departments, could create extra NHS demand as some are only staffed for 12 hours a day, the country’s top emergency doctor has warned. The service allows patients to be monitored remotely from their own homes, freeing up hospital beds and capacity in emergency departments. Patients are given devices to track their vital signs, such as blood pressure and oxygen levels, with readings sent back to doctors via smartphone apps. Dr Boyle, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said that virtual wards “must not be seen as a silver bullet for all the problems in urgent and emergency care”. “We’re very wary of virtual ward beds being used to say that there are increased beds within hospitals because that’s simply not true,” he said. “The plan for 7,000 or 5,000 extra beds need to be actual beds, with pillows, sheets and staff looking after them.” Source: Telegraph, 11 February 2023 Read full story -
News Article
‘Hospitals at home’ plan to save NHS
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
More than half a million patients a year will be treated in “hospitals at home” in an attempt to relieve pressure on A&E departments. Under the plans, elderly and frail patients who fall will be treated by video link, with ministers saying that a fifth of emergency admissions could be avoided with the right care. Health officials said the “virtual wards” would be backed up by £14 billion in extra spending on health and care services over the next two years, as the NHS tackles record backlogs, with seven million people on waiting lists. Rishi Sunak said the Urgent & Emergency Care Recovery Plan showed that the NHS was one of his “top priorities”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Telegraph, 29 January 2023 -
Content ArticleThis video and written summary from the Institute of Health and Social Care Management (IHSCM) look at the principles of running virtual wards, where patients are monitored and cared for in their own homes with the help of remote treatment options and supported by technology. Hosted by health policy analyst Roy Lilley, speakers include: Professor Alison Leary Elaine Strachan-Hall Steph Lawrence Alexandra Evans Dr Elaine Maxwell
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Content ArticleThe health service needs to develop innovative ways of treating an increasingly elderly and frail population, while harnessing new technology to help mitigate the staffing crisis. As part of the Times Health Commission, this article outlines some potential solutions — encompassing new ways of working and regulation to promote healthier lifestyles — to some aspects of the health and social care crisis in the UK.
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Content ArticleThis document summarises the current landscape of virtual wards from the perspective of healthcare for older people, and provides advice to those looking to set up such services for older people living with frailty.
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News Article
Only half of new virtual beds occupied, internal figures reveal
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Just over half of the 7,000 new virtual ward beds opened under the new national programme are occupied by patients, according to recent internal figures seen by HSJ. NHS England director for community transformation Stephanie Sommerville told a recent NHSE webinar that occupancy stood at around 52%. Although it is understood programme directors are pleased with the 43% growth in virtual beds since May, Ms Sommerville said it “demonstrate[s] we have a way to go to make sure our virtual wards are really well utilised. Of course, one of the big contributions to delivering more activity to our virtual wards is getting the referrals and admissions process right.” While the concept of remotely monitoring patients at home has been around for more than 20 years, NHSE has made expanding remotely monitored care a key ambition in order to tackle the capacity and demand challenges facing the NHS. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 16 December 2022 -
EventuntilNHS England & Improvement has asked all Integrated Care Systems to extend, or introduce for the first time, the Virtual Ward model. The guidance starts a two-year funded transformation programme to support the development of Virtual Wards, including Hospital at Home. In this free webinar an expert panel will discuss how Virtual Wards can support elective recovery and improve patient flow during the critical Winter period. Our panel will also focus on the practicalities of setting up, rolling out and managing Virtual Wards across multiple treatments and care pathways. Headline discussion points: NHS winter pressures and tools to support delivery. Setting up, rolling out and managing Virtual Wards. Impact of Virtual Wards on the Healthcare system. Hospital at home & community based care models. What attendees will learn: What is a virtual ward and what needs to be in place to make virtual wards work. Innovation and initiatives that have been used previously to support delivery. How virtual wards can be rolled out across a system and new treatments/pathways introduced within a virtual ward. Register
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Content ArticlePaul McGinness, chief executive, Lenus Health, presents new evidence showing how a digital service model can reduce respiratory-related hospital admissions and enable care at home.
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Content ArticleA digital transformation is underway in healthcare and health technology. But what exactly do the smart hospitals of the future look like? Are we heading for a fully virtual health experience? Whether it’s AI and machine learning, or another form of innovation – it’s clear to see that health tech, and healthcare, is changing drastically. The words “smart hospital” and “virtual hospital wards” have eased their way into our vocabulary – and they will soon be the driving force of healthcare everywhere. So what would smart hospitals look like? And what should we be expecting between now and 2050? Health Tech World asked some of the leading experts in the field to give us their predictions as well as their expertise on what the healthcare of the next few decades will look like.
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Content ArticleThere was a national roll out of ‘COVID Virtual Wards’ (CVW) during England's second COVID-19 wave (Autumn 2020 – Spring 2021). These services used remote pulse oximetry monitoring for COVID-19 patients following discharge from hospital. A key aim was to enable rapid detection of patient deterioration. It was anticipated that the services would support early discharge, reducing pressure on beds. This study from Georghiou et al. evaluated the impact of the CVW services on hospital activity. The study found no evidence of early discharges or changes in readmissions associated with the roll out of COVID Virtual Wards across England.
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Content ArticleDr Gordon Hay, service director of A&E/urgent care services at Moorfields Eye Hospital discusses with Digital Health the challenge to minimising hospital visits during the pandemic and how Moorfields Eye Hospital utilised a video conference platform to implement a fully functional virtual A&E service, providing an effective hybrid care delivery model for the future.
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News Article
Royal Surrey County Hospital to launch virtual ward to free up beds
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The Royal Surrey County Hospital is preparing to open its first virtual ward. From this summer 15 patients will receive treatment at home using apps and wearable technology, as an alternative to a stay in hospital. The ward will be overseen by a consultant, working with therapists, nursing staff and pharmacists. The hospital, in Guildford, plans to extend the ward to 52 patients by April 2024. Health providers across England have been asked to deliver virtual wards at a rate of 40 to 50 beds per 100,000 people by December 2023. It is hoped they will free up beds more quickly, speeding up admissions from A&E and for elective surgery. Read full story Source: BBC News, 7 June 2022 -
News Article
NHS will not hit virtual wards target, internal data suggests
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The NHS is on trajectory to fall short of a flagship pledge to have around 24,000 “virtual ward beds” in place by December 2023, internal data has revealed. NHS England’s figures from March, seen by HSJ, suggest the system is instead more likely to have created around 18,500 virtual beds by the 2023 deadline. Senior clinicians, including the Royal College of Physicians and the Society of Acute Medicine, have recently raised concerns about the speed and timing of the roll-out and staffing implications. And now fresh concerns are also being raised about the programme following publication of a new academic study which suggests virtual wards set up by the NHS during Covid made little impact on length of stay or readmissions rates. Alison Leary, professor of healthcare and workforce modelling, London South Bank University, was one of the first senior leaders to publicly voice concerns about the NHS’s virtual wards programme. Professor Leary told HSJ: “I am not surprised [systems are falling] short. Since Elaine [Elaine Maxwell, visiting professor, London South Bank University] and I published our piece in HSJ, I have been contacted by several clinicians who have serious concerns over virtual wards and staffing them.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 31 March 2022 -
Content ArticleIn a fundamental sense, the vision for transforming virtual care from that of an exclusive service that benefits only a few to that of a standard for providing equitable care for all echoes the age-old debate between policy variations on the zip code and the genetic code. This commentary from Esha Ray Chaudhuri aims to further develop the key theme of engaging the “reimagining” of virtual care for older ethnic adults—by considering the syndemic nature of COVID-19 and the intersection of cultural interventions in care and equity in virtual care.
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Content Article'Virtual wards' have existed for a number of years, but Covid-19 has led to further research and pilot schemes exploring their use. How have they been used during the pandemic and what does the future hold? This explainer by Holly Walton and Naomi Fulop provides some answers.
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EventuntilVirtual wards were a key part of the response to the early phases of the pandemic and again to Omicron. Indeed, in late December 2021 NHS England issued urgent guidance saying a minimum of 15 per cent of covid positive hospital patients should be treated in virtual wards. And the national body’s 2022/23 priorities and operational planning guidance – issued around the same time – goes further, stating that “the scope for virtual wards is far greater”. By the end of 2023, systems are expected “to have completed the comprehensive development of virtual wards towards a national ambition of 40–50 virtual beds per 100,000 population”. Funding has been promised to support this transformation. So can virtual wards work at scale in the NHS? Is it possible to make such setups part of business at usual? What do we know about how to most effectively implement virtual wards? What are potential challenges and how can they be overcome? Is the 2023 target realistic – and desirable? This HSJ webinar, run in association with Doccla, will bring together a small panel of experts to discuss the answers to these questions. Panellists Tara Donnelly, director of digital care models, NHS England and NHS Improvement Fiona McCann, respiratory consultant and clinical lead for respiratory medicine, Northampton General Hospital Trust Martin Ratz, founder, Doccla Matthew Winn, chief executive, Cambridgeshire Community Services Trust and national director of community health, NHS England and NHS Improvement Claire Read, contributor, HSJ (chair) Register for the webinar
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Content ArticleA report from the Institute of Health and Social Care Management Power-House series discusses virtual wards, an innovation due to be implemented at scale in the NHS as a method of addressing patient waiting lists. With the help of remote treatment options and supported by technology, patients are monitored and cared for in their own homes. The report lists the advantages and disadvantages of this approach. In addition to the report, you can watch the 'How to virtual wards Power Hour' video where an expert panel discusses the details around virtual wards. Roy Lilley was joined by Professor Alison Leary, Elaine Strachan-Hall, Steph Lawrence, Alexandra Evans and Dr Elaine Maxwell for an unmissable hour of insight, expertise and guidance.
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Content ArticleRecovering services from the covid crisis is the big task for NHS leaders for the foreseeable future. HSJ's Recovery Watch newsletter tracks prospects and progress. This week HSJ bureau chief and performance lead James Illman discusses virtual wards and why staffing pressures are ‘likely to be under-estimated’ and are a patient safety risk.
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News Article
NHS to treat 25,000 hospital patients at home in ‘virtual wards’
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The NHS plans to treat up to 25,000 hospital patients at home in “virtual wards” to help clear the backlog caused by the pandemic, the “living with Covid” plan has revealed. Patients will be offered acute clinical care at home, including remote monitoring and treatment, as an alternative to hospital stays. Consultants or GPs will review patients daily via digital platforms and phone calls. In some cases, patients will be provided with a wearable device to continuously monitor and report their vital signs. The NHS has set a national target of 40 to 50 virtual beds per 100,000 population, which equates to about 25,000 beds across England, according to the “living with Covid” plan published this week. The document said: “The use of ‘virtual wards’ and ‘hospital at home’ models of care have ensured that patients can be safely cared for in their own homes and that additional bed capacity can be freed up in hospitals.” Commenting on the initial rollout of virtual wards, Dr Tim Cooksley, the president of the Society for Acute Medicine, warned a “hasty” rollout could risk patient safety. He said: “Virtual wards do have the potential to be a model of the future. However, it is essential they are appropriately planned, resourced and staffed so they simply cannot be seen as a short-term mitigation measure which can be hastily rolled out mid-pandemic. Incorrect implementation could risk patient safety and significantly impact clinician and patient confidence.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Telegraph, 22 February 2022 -
Content ArticleThe impermanent nature of a waiver flexibility and intensified staffing shortages leave health systems that have not yet moved forward with "hospital-at-home" programs in a policy-driven, wait-and-see limbo. The centricity of the home during pandemic life brought renewed attention to the "hospital-at- home" model, but the model dates to the mid-1990s, when it was developed by Bruce Leff, MD, a geriatrician and health services researcher at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. His expertise has been even more widely sought since March 2020, as hospitals looked to move care outside of their walls to meet the demands of COVID-19's earliest surges.
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News Article
Patients at risk’ from ‘hastily rolled out virtual wards’
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
NHS England’s plans to rapidly expand virtual wards are being ‘hastily rolled out’ and could put patients at risk while taking up significant staffing capacity, leading clinicians have warned. The Society for Acute Medicine and the Royal College of Physicians are among those who have raised concerns to HSJ about the huge increase in the use of the virtual wards model, under which patients are discharged home and given oximeters that fit on their finger so they can be remotely monitored by clinical staff. The concerns follow NHSE ordering trusts to ensure a minimum of 15% of hospital covid patients were being treated in virtual wards, in plans to help ease pressures on hospital wards announced just before Christmas. At the time NHSE announced the plans there were around 7,000 covid inpatients in English NHS hospitals, meaning around 1,000 patients should be in virtual wards. But the covid inpatient figure had more than doubled to nearly 16,000 by 5 January. The project is hugely significant because NHSE and trust chiefs want to use virtual wards much more widely – including for non-covid patients – and believe they represent a potentially game-changing option when it comes to alleviating pressure on hospitals and speeding up discharges. Many of the clinicians who spoke to HSJ were supportive of the principle of virtual wards but had serious concerns about the speed and timing of the rollout. They said there was a lack of evidence the approach was safe. Society for Acute Medicine president Tim Cooksley said virtual wards had potential for the future but that they “simply cannot be seen as a short-term mitigation measure which can be hastily rolled out mid-pandemic”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 7 January 2022 -
News Article
NHS London’s plans for virtual wards create unnecessary risk
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
NHS London’s plan for dealing with the omicron wave needs to take a more multidisciplinary approach and be more evidence-based if it is to not build unwarranted variation into services, write Elaine Maxwell and Alison Leary in HSJ. A key tenet of high reliability organisations is to expect the unexpected. The start of the global COVID-19 pandemic was perhaps a little too unexpected to have good plans in place, but nearly two years on there really is no excuse and the NHS London plan for the omicron wave leaves a lot to be desired. Standing down Covid Virtual Wards across the summer with limited capacity to restart them (and no clear evaluation) was, in hindsight, a mistake - but standing up a different model without careful forethought is perhaps a bigger mistake. We have talked for at least a decade about unwarranted variation and we seem to be building it into services now, because we don’t spend the time considering the research evidence and consulting the whole multidisciplinary team in order to set meaningful standards. In safety science terms, this is a nightmare. We should and could do better. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 23 December 2021 -
Content Article
In this blog, patient Becky Tatum reflects on two articles in Forbes magazine describing how technology is enabling patient's with multiple chronic conditions who may have been discharged from hospital, to now be provided with aftercare in their own home. Becky looks at the pros and cons of receiving hospital treatment at home from a patient's perspective.
