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Virtual wards are a crucial part of NHS plans to increase capacity and tackle the increasing operational pressures facing the healthcare system.
The RFL is continuing to expand and explore our virtual ward capabilities deploying face to face nursing care, as well as remote monitoring.
We shine a spotlight on two virtual wards at the RFL which are already successfully supporting our patients at home… and we’ll continue to update you on our virtual ward journey as it becomes more widely adopted by different specialities and departments.
Meet the heart attack patients avoiding unnecessary hospital stays
Saif, pictured waiting to go home after his angioplasty, with his wife Maral
Patients who have had a mini heart attack are now being allowed to go home to their families – instead of staying in hospital – while they wait for a procedure.
After a mini heart attack, patients would usually remain in hospital until they have their angioplasty procedure that would unblock their arteries and prevent a heart attack in future.
However, patients deemed well enough are now being monitored from their homes, helping them to avoid unnecessary stays in hospital.
Patients discharged to a virtual ward are equipped with a portable device which allows them to measure their own blood pressure and heart rate. The results are reviewed by their doctor, who can take action if needed, including altering their medication.
Saif Bakarian is one of those who has benefitted from being on a virtual ward.
After feeling unwell, Saif attended BH emergency department (ED) before being taken in an ambulance to the RFH’s cardiology unit.
Following a full assessment, Saif was booked in for an angioplasty for four days’ time – and in the meantime he was allowed to go home.
He said: “I really appreciated being able to go home, I felt much more comfortable there.”
“They sent me home with kit to measure my blood pressure and heart rate. I filled out the results on an app each morning and was also under strict instructions to come back to ED if I felt unwell.
“Everything went like clockwork and the staff have been exceptional.”
Saif only spent one night in hospital, compared to a typical two or three days as an inpatient.
Cardiology consultant Tushar Kotecha helped develop this new way of treating patients.
“Normally these patients would be admitted onto the cardiology ward and might end up waiting a few days for their procedure,” he said.
“Now they have a short period of monitoring and, if suitable, we discharge them onto the virtual ward so they can continue their observations from the comfort of their own home.
“The patient is then booked in for their angioplasty to take place within a week and they go home from that procedure on the same day as usual. The patients tell us they love it because they much prefer being in their own environment, and it frees up the beds for more unwell patients.
“The other big positive from our patients’ perspective is their procedure appointment is protected because they are a day case. That means it is guaranteed to go ahead instead of being postponed as is sometimes the case for those who require an inpatient bed.”
We can care for acutely unwell children at home
Staff from the North Mid hospital at home service
Parents have praised the North Mid Babies’ Children and Young People Hospital at Home service (BCYP H@H) saying it offers them the reassurance they need.
One parent said: “Our son was treated for jaundice and we are so grateful this could be done at home, with the fantastic support from the hospital at home team. Every nurse that visited was professional and supportive and kept communicating with us regularly and the test results were delivered rapidly.”
Another parent commented: “This was a service I was unaware of, so, when referred I didn’t know what to expect. However, it has exceeded my expectations. It gave me the reassurance I needed on the health of my child and meant I could keep my child at home in the comfort they are familiar with, which I believe aids recovery. A brilliant service.”
The service, which deploys highly trained and experienced paediatric nurses, has now been running 21 months – it launched on 1 May 2023 at North Mid – and has shown that caring for acutely ill children in their homes, where they feel safest and are with their families, can be done to the highest of standards. What started as a three-bed virtual ward, has steadily grown and is due expand further to become a 16-bed operation within the next few weeks.
The service sees babies, children and young people aged between 0 to 16 (and 16-18 years old with complex needs) living in Haringey and Enfield. Amongst other things the nurses are able to administer antibiotics, as well as treat respiratory conditions and other illnesses such as gastroenteritis.
Since the service began there have been continual incremental changes. The catchment area has increased, as well as the number of conditions treated. Referrals are now accepted from the ED, the paediatric assessment unit, Rainbow ward (a children’s ward), the postnatal ward, the special care baby unit, North Mid community midwives, as well as from other north central London wards and local GPs. The service has now treated more than 1,350 patients since its launch.
The majority of patients were treated for febrile illness (fever) and asthma, and at least 13% of the total were newborn babies being treated for infection or jaundice.
Malvina Benitez-Castillo, matron of the service, said: “This is a formidable group of nurses dedicated to compassionate care in the community. They have been incredibly committed, adaptive and patient, working collaboratively to tweak the process.”
