Virtual Wards going from strength to strength as 1,000th patient enters the service
The Virtual Ward (VW) team are celebrating reaching a significant landmark after the service recorded its 1,000th patient.
During a very busy month Holly Griffiths became the 1,000th patient on the evening of the 15 April 2024. This landmark is more than just a number – it shows the significant progress the service has made since its inception and continues to exceed the targets that were set for the programme.
Originally, the target was to have 50 active beds ‘open’ by the beginning of April 2024, however the team have endeavoured to enhance the service for patients and successfully reached that target in Autumn of 2023. In opening up the additional capacity, the team have doubled their workforce and has since seen a month-on-month increase in referral numbers into the service.
“We are so proud of what we have been able to achieve in a short space of time,” said Deputy Service Line Manager for Virtual Ward and the Acute GP Service, Louise Huntley. “Whilst the service is still in its infancy in some respects, we have not relented in our aim to support as many patients as possible, as soon as possible.”
The increased service has been partly enabled by how aware service lines are of the programme, and their ability to refer a range of pathways into VW. Since VW began, it has had a dedicated community IV service which covers Plymouth, West Devon and the South Hams, enabling patients to receive infusions up to three times a day in their own home. A number of acute medical patients have been able to return home to continue their treatment, instead of having to be admitted to hospital. The community pathway has really taken off under the care of the Acute GP service and the first Urology pathway went live at the end of April. The team have also begun taking on the End of Life Emergency Department to home pathway, and will start to accept IVs in Cornwall too.
And the potential of the service looks set to increase further, as heart failure, infective joints and cellulitis pathways are all currently in development.
Ward Manager, Sandra Lacey, said: “It’s amazing to think the ward first opened in December 2022 with just 1 admin co-ordinator and myself. We have now become a full MDT with 6 senior sisters/senior paramedics, dedicated pharmacist and pharmacy technician, service line clinical lead plus clinical pathway leads, 5 admin co-ordinators and registrar support from Acute Medicine. The background our clinical team includes Frailty, Community Services and Emergency Services, so we are able to draw on their experiences to adapt our offer to patients. They also love to bake, so the office often has goodies to share!” 
The VW team are keen to hear from anyone who is interested to see how the service might be able to support their specialities and their patients. If you would like to discuss with the team, please get in touch with Louise on louisehuntley@nhs.net or with Sandra Lacey on sandralacey@nhs.net
Virtual wards (also known as hospital at home) allow patients to get hospital-level care at home safely and in familiar surroundings, helping speed up their recovery while freeing up hospital beds for patients that need them most. Just as in hospital, people on a virtual ward are cared for by a multidisciplinary team who can provide a range of tests and treatments.
