Virtual Wards

What is a virtual ward?

Virtual wards allow clinical teams to safely and effectively bring patients the care they need at home, rather than in hospital. Patients can be referred to a virtual ward to avoid an admission into hospital, or when they are discharged from a hospital ward to the place they call home (this could include care homes).

 

There are two types of referrals into the virtual ward:

• You are referred into a virtual ward when being discharged from a hospital ward.
• You are referred into a virtual ward to avoid admittance to hospital.

 

However you are referred, every patient has an individual, personalised virtual ward care plan designed to meet their specific care needs.In a virtual ward, support will often include using remote monitoring equipment. Your care team will be able to show you how to use this.

 

Who works on a virtual ward?

The team will be personalised to your needs, but usually the core team would include, your hospital doctor, a lead nurse, a team of experienced nurses and a pharmacist. It could also include allied health professionals such as, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, dieticians and occupational therapists, depending on your needs.

 

 

What does a virtual ward look like?

A virtual ward provides the same medical care as a hospital ward, but you are in the comfort of your own home/living space. In line with your personalised virtual ward care plan, you will have regular contact with the team who will call you and check how you are progressing and discuss your monitoring results if you have monitoring equipment.

 

The benefits of the virtual ward are that you are in your own environment yet still being looked after by a team of experienced health professionals.