Virtual Wards to deliver care at home

January 2023 will see the roll-out of new Virtual Wards for patients across the Trust.

The innovation is taking place across the UK as part of a directive from NHS England. Virtual Wards will deliver care at home for patients who would otherwise have to be treated in hospital, by enabling earlier supported discharge and providing alternatives to admission.

The Trust is commencing with a number of virtual ward beds in Scarborough initially, with ongoing expansion to include Whitby and Ryedale.

Led by the Trust’s Community Services team, the project will provide an improved service for patients with care at home, and to enable appropriate use of services across community and acute care.

Care at home could include face to face visits from community clinical staff, as well as options to use technology to support patient wellbeing and health monitoring from home.

How this service might be able to help (not an exhaustive list):

- Following a fall

- During a rapid decline linked with frailty

- Reduced function or reduced mobility

- Palliative care/end of life crisis support

- To manage an infection

All community services will continue to be accessed through a single point of contact.

All existing community services will still be available, for example the Urgent Community Response Service, District Nursing service, specialist services such as Heart Failure Nurse Specialists. The existing and new community services will work together to support care for patients in a virtual ward bed.

Admissions to hospital will still be supported where there is a clinical need.

Care at home in the virtual ward may prevent an admission to hospital where safe and appropriate or enable earlier discharge from hospital. This could reduce risk of hospital-acquired infections and support more time with family or friends at home, especially for people living with frailty.

The next stage of the project will see the roll out and implementation of technology solutions that will provide additional support for patients at home.

Find more information on the Virtual Wards roll-out across England on the NHS England website: NHS England » Virtual wards, the Trust has also produced an information leaflet which is available to view here.