More Derbyshire patients to be treated at home through virtual wards

Some patients are given medical kits to take home to monitor their vitals including heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature

Healthcare bosses in Derbyshire say they are aiming to increase the number of patients who are treated at home through virtual wards.

Currently about 140 patients can be seen at a time for palliative, respiratory, frailty, cardiology, haematology and diagnostics.

Joined Up Care Derbyshire hopes to increase this to about 250 patients.

Between January and September, about 950 patients were either monitored remotely or visited in their home.

The NHS body said the service allows hospitals to free up beds by discharging eligible patients that could be seen or monitored at home, which relieves pressure on hospitals.

It said the service had also reduced the need for patients with long-term or chronic health conditions to be admitted to hospital.

Programme manager Victoria Byrne said: "In selecting patients for a virtual ward, our focus is on those who can benefit from continuous monitoring and support in the comfort of their homes.

"We carefully assess individuals with chronic conditions, recent hospital discharges, or specific medical needs, ensuring that the virtual ward becomes a personalised and proactive extension of their healthcare journey."

'Better for recovery'

Dr Seema Kumari, who is leading the project, said the virtual wards were a "safe and efficient alternative to NHS bedded care".

"It allows our healthcare staff to allocate more time for those in need of acute hospital care as it frees up hospital bed space," she said.

"This is better for patients' recovery and easier for their families and carers."

Joined Up Care Derbyshire added it also aimed to include other areas that could benefit from the virtual ward programme in the coming months.

NHS England hopes to roll out the virtual ward service to more hospitals across the country.

University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust said it was currently offering the service for 11 conditions including diabetes, asthma, heart failure and Covid and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Between January and September a total of 1,124 patients had used a virtual ward in Leicester and Leicestershire.

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust offers the service for 60 patients at a time.

It said 353 patients were discharged early and received care at home last year, adding this equated to 160 bed days saved within the trust.

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