Virtual wards (also known as hospital at home) allow patients to get the care they need at home safely and conveniently, rather than being in hospital.
The NHS is increasingly introducing virtual wards to support people at the place they call home, including care homes.
NHS England has set an ambition to expand the virtual ward provision substantially across the NHS, with Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) being asked to work towards providing 40-50 virtual ward beds per 100,000 population. North Central London ICS is committed to delivering this ambition in a safe and sustainable manner while also ensuring consistent provision across our five boroughs of Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey, and Islington.
North Central London currently has over 175 adult and paediatric virtual ward beds supporting people with a variety of acute care needs, including frailty and cardiovascular. Patients are cared for by multidisciplinary teams, with access to a range of tests and treatments, as they would be in hospital. Patients are reviewed daily by their clinical team and many virtual wards also use technology such as apps or wearable devices, to monitor patients’ vital signs and other clinical indicators.
One patient from the Camden Virtual Ward said: “I felt fine and supported, I was assured that I could reach the virtual ward if I needed. In the virtual ward, the staff [and] the amount of care received was excellent”. Another patient shared that “we as a family are grateful about the NHS as a whole, but more so about the VW (virtual ward) you guys are amazing.” A family member shared that they “felt reassured that these services exist in the community and these services have the expertise to deal with my wife’s situation.”
North Central London ICS is guided by a collective vision of how virtual wards should look and feel to patients and staff, including that they provide safe and effective acute care in a person’s place of residence.
Some recent updates on virtual wards in North Central London:
- North Mid Children and Young People Hospital@Home – click here to visit their website.
- Camden virtual ward (Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust) – click here to visit their website.
- Whittington Virtual Ward – Click here to visit their website.
Find out more about virtual wards on the NHS England website by clicking here.