The NHS in the Midlands has celebrated admitting its 1,000th patient to a respiratory virtual ward at The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust.  

Virtual wards allow patients to get the care they need at home safely and conveniently, rather than being in hospital. They enable more people to receive the acute care, remote monitoring and treatment they need in their own home. They can help prevent admissions or allow for an earlier, supported discharge. Virtual wards also provide additional capacity to hospital beds, enabling more patients to receive the timely treatment they need. 

Barbara, who was the ward’s 1000th patient, has pulmonary fibrosis, a disease that occurs when lung tissue becomes damaged and scarred; this stemmed from pneumonia which she developed in 2016.  

Barbara’s most recent hospital admission led to her being treated in Dudley: “The virtual ward wasn’t something I had heard about before, but I knew immediately it was something that would really help me and allow me to go home quickly and under virtual supervision from staff. 

“I remember thinking to myself ‘what a great idea’. I didn’t want to stay in hospital, I wanted to be at home with family and this was the perfect solution. The staff talked to myself and my daughter, they demonstrated how the respiratory virtual ward worked and what we have to do to record the readings. 

“The virtual ward team were brilliant. They called us every day to speak to me and my daughter and make sure everything was OK and I found that really reassuring. It is the perfect combination because you are able to be at home with your loved ones, but still receiving expert care. 

“Even when I was really struggling, I knew that we weren’t completely on our own and it lifts your spirits to know that someone cares.” 

The ward, which opened in September 2021 as a response to Covid-19 patients whose lungs were affected, enables patients to receive hospital care in the comfort of their own home.  

Patients that are deemed able to recover better in their own home can take home specialist equipment – a pulse oximeter – whilst still under the care of the hospital.  This allows them to continue to be regularly monitored by NHS staff remotely.  The equipment sends frequent readings to clinicians and will alert them should the reading suggest the patient requires help. 

Patients recovering at home report being in a familiar and comfortable environment helps them rest and sleep better without interruptions from staff, patients or beeping and noisy equipment often found on a hospital ward. 

Virtual wards have benefited patients to the extent that more are being created across the Midlands for treating cancer patients, caring for heart failure patients, outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy patients and many more. 

The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust was an early adopter of the virtual ward programme and plans to expand its current virtual ward programme to include another two wards: complex nutrition and cardiology. This expansion will allow more patients to be seen on ward, by freeing up hospital beds.  

Jess Sokolov, Medical Director for NHS England in the Midlands, said, “The Dudley Group has done an amazing job establishing and utilising the virtual ward concept to care for its patients in an innovative and different way than we’re traditionally used to.   

“The 1,000 patients milestone is a brilliant achievement, but I know that they will be able to treat even more patients over this year with the planned expansion into different areas of care.”  

Kerry Silver, Lead Nurse for the Dudley Respiratory Assessment Service, said: “We have been working really hard to get the correct care for our patients and believe that the 1,000 patient milestone is a symbol of that.   

“Our virtual wards are a great way to get people the care they need, and they are sent home with all the equipment and information they need to help us monitor their conditions live at the hospital.  

“They have allowed us to treat more patients by freeing up beds on the ward.”  

In the Midlands, the NHS has been able to treat many patients on virtual wards and will be expanding the programme to over 3,000 beds in 2023.  

Those interested in virtual wards can find out more through this NHS video  

The NHS will be celebrating 75 years on 5 July, 2023. During this year, the NHS is celebrating the successes and innovation of the NHS and the services it provides. Introducing virtual wards are another example of embracing technology and exciting opportunities to advance care to benefit patients, allowing them to get the care they need from their own homes.