The road to recovery: Unlocking the potential of virtual wards

“The NHS is in a critical condition, but its vital signs are strong” were words captured in Lord Darzi’s recent independent investigation of the National Health Service England[1]. With waiting times for hospital procedures continuing to surge, treatment targets are being missed and this is having a negative impact on patient outcomes – and the health of the nation as a whole. According to figures gathered by the report, despite the promise that treatment for most procedures will start within 18 weeks, in June 2024 more than 300,000 people had waited over a year, fifteen times as many people as in 2010.

Whilst the extensive review reveals some harsh truths and current shortfalls in the system, it also shines a spotlight on promising solutions that will support NHS on its road to recovery, and as part of the upcoming 10-year health plan. The tilt towards technology, and concepts such as virtual wards, for example, have the opportunity to offer enhanced productivity and efficiency where resource is currently stretched to breaking point.

NHS England defines a virtual ward as “an alternative to NHS bedded care that is enabled by technology”[2]. It is an acute clinical service with staff, equipment, technologies, medication and skills usually provided in hospitals, delivered to selected people in their usual place of residence, including care homes.

Since their initial launch back in April 2022, virtual wards have been established across all integrated care systems in England, with 12,365 virtual beds in place as of July 2024. With the ambition to be able to admit 50,000 patients per month, virtual wards – if harnessed effectively - are set to have a huge impact on hospital admissions, whilst also reducing the length of time patients stay in hospital to free up hospital capacity for those who need it most.

However, there is still some way to go to truly unlock the benefits that virtual wards have to offer, with the Health Foundation charity revealing mixed results achieved to date due to many struggling to access the right technology[3]. Identifying the right patients for a virtual ward, for example, is a vital hurdle to jump and this will be dependent on accurate data and information that is integrated between primary and community care services, hospitals and emergency/111 services, to support the referral process. Current, existing systems are typically not set up for such a task and this urgently needs addressing in order for this concept to be effective.

Accessing the right data

To unlock the full potential of virtual wards, emphasis must be placed on having the right information available in real-time. Not only is this critical to informing concepts such as the virtual ward, but it is also essential for ensuring the necessary resource is available, and in the right place to manage it effectively.

This requires access to ongoing ward-level patient feedback and analysis to support the selection of patients who would be eligible and amenable to moving to a virtual ward bed in the first place. It also means the ongoing review of patient data to ensure that those patients are supported effectively throughout the migration, and on their way to recovery.

Fortunately, there are tools available that empower NHS organisations to bring such information together into a centralised view, breaking down the silos that often stand in the way of effective integration across the NHS. Low-code-driven Platform as a Service (PaaS) technologies, for example, offer the seamless integration of data within core systems, to enable effective data sharing across applications and departments.

Prioritising patient engagement

Selecting patients that are suitable for virtual wards, however, is just one piece of the puzzle when we look at ensuring success. The other pieces revolve around patient engagement, and this is another area where access to data is essential.

Again, low-code technologies when integrated with Contact Centre as a Service (CCaaS) tools, play a pivotal role here by enabling hospitals to achieve effective communication with the patient throughout their journey. For virtual ward patients, engagement and continuous reassurance is even more critical to avoid feelings of isolation, which could hamper recovery. It is also essential should a patient's symptoms escalate – meaning that a virtual ward is no longer appropriate and urgent care is required.

By harnessing low-code driven CCaaS tools which bring together system data, with the capability to develop engaging customer interfaces and applications, NHS trusts can achieve various forms of engagement that are simple and intuitive for patient use, irrespective of their demographic. This includes the creation of digitally-enabled contact plans based on patient information and preferences, and the ability to provide stepped methodology to maximise engagement without inducing contact fatigue.

Having tools in place that work with customer-facing systems to record non-clinical patient information through these engagements, as well as clinical, can also help to inform positive interactions in the future. This non-clinical information might include insights on previous engagements, divulging preferences, or other details that enable a better experience moving forward.

The road to recovery

Virtual wards certainly present a promising opportunity for NHS trusts to manage the current patient backlogs, free up hospital beds, and provide better patient outcomes – whether that be by assisting in rehabilitation, or being used proactively to avoid hospital stays initially. But, it is only with the right technology, that virtual wards will be at their most effective. This includes the use of AI to leverage underlying data relating to patients, to aid continuous improvement of processes surrounding virtual wards, personalised contact patterns, and associated outcomes.

Such tools and technologies must be flexible enough to bring synergy between departments, whilst also facilitating other initiatives such as Patient Initiated Follow-ups (PIFU), another concept geared around putting patients back in control of their care. Together, these forward-looking concepts when backed by the right tools, will help the Government’s ambitions to move towards a digital NHS, as well as a preventative and efficient approach to patient care.

[1] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66f42ae630536cb92748271f/Lord-Darzi-Independent-Investigation-of-the-National-Health-Service-in-England-Updated-25-September.pdf

[2] https://www.england.nhs.uk/virtual-wards/

[3] https://www.health.org.uk/news-and-comment/blogs/virtual-wards-no-place-like-home