It will be able to care for 20 patients a day, and is expected to expand to more than 40 in the future, as it introduces remote monitoring technology.(Julian Claxton/Alamy/PA)
More virtual beds are to be installed in London homes to tackle rising demands for urgent care this winter as part of a pilot scheme.
The Virtual Ward service, which facilitates care at home for patients who would otherwise require hospital treatment, will now have 20 ‘beds’ available, up from the eight it already had. It will also be adding 20 remote monitoring virtual beds over the coming weeks.
The North Central London Integrated Care System pilot, which is spearheaded by Whittington Health NHS Trust, will extend the service beyond its own patients to support those in the local community.
Its increased capacity means it will be able to care for 20 patients a day, and is expected to expand to more than 40 in the future, as it introduces remote monitoring technology.
Patients who are provided the service are visited by community nurses, and other healthcare professionals, whilst their care is overseen by a consultant.
Dr Clare Dollery, Medical Director for Whittington Health NHS Trust, said the team was “delighted” to work with partners in North London to “safely” keep patients from requiring treatment at hospital.
“Hospital is fundamentally not the best place to care for people who don’t need immediate treatment, and we know that no one wants to be in hospital any longer than they really need to be.
“The virtual ward service allows patients who don’t need to be in hospital but do require a level of support to avoid coming into hospital while still getting the treatment they need to recover.”
The daughter of one patient who benefited from the service said the team had gone above and beyond to ensure her father was well cared for.
Pauline cares for her father Edward, who has dementia. She said the service was much better for him than having to come into hospital when he developed a nasty infection.
She said: “I do everything I can to keep my Dad out of hospital, I want to avoid it if I possibly can because he is comfortable at home and a lot more independent and mobile in his mind than in reality so it’s not easy for him to go to hospital.
“Vineeth from Whittington Health came to take a urine sample from Dad when he was poorly, although he was only there to provide medical care he even made dad a snack when he said he was hungry. Vineeth made sure Dad was fed, cleaned and comfortable, and Vineeth went back to the hospital with the test sample that he would otherwise have had to come into the hospital to have,” she added.
At University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH), the Trust provides the UCLH Hospital@Home service.
It provides the service in partnership with North Middlesex University Hospital and Barnet Enfield and Haringey NHS Trusts for patients in Enfield.
The Virtual Ward Service works in partnership with colleagues in the hospital’s emergency department, medical assessment unit, the Trust’s community teams and with Social Services teams across North Central London. It is made up of a ‘multidisciplinary team’ – clinical experts from a range of different fields, including GPs, community nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, carers, healthcare assistants and ambulatory or emergency care consultants.
The service has helped to keep more than 20,000 people at home and therefore safely out of beds at Whittington Hospital, keeping those beds free for those who need them most.
