Virtual Wards

Welcome to the virtual ward service that will be delivered across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.  We have an ambition to make up to 470 virtual ward beds available by December 2023. 

What is a virtual ward?

Using a mixture of technology and face-to-face interventions, virtual wards allow patients to get the care they need at home, safely and conveniently, rather than being in hospital.

Patients will be able to have a clinical assessment, be monitored and observed, and complete treatment at home, which will reduce hospital admissions and allow some patients to be discharged early.

There will initially be 3 types of virtual ward:

• General Acute and Frailty
• COPD
• Heart Failure

Other benefits of the service include:

• Advanced technology and wearable devices can remotely monitor patientcare, provide real-time information, and alert staff to changes in health
• Patients can be discharged earlier to have continued treatment and monitoring at home
• Reduced number of patients admitted to hospital
• Patients can stay in familiar surroundings which helps with their recovery

For more information then please see the virtual wards frequently asked questions

What can a patient expect?

Patients can expect a home visit by one of the Virtual Ward Clinical Team to complete a clinical assessment, and digital assessment.  They will discuss their treatment plan, understand if there are other professionals already involved with their care, and provide reassurance on what will happen next.

Clinical staff from the virtual ward will then treat and care for the patient until they are recovered. The patient will then transfer back to the care of their GP.

Acute Care at Home

Acute Care at Home is the service that will be providing the bed management and the acute clinical care of these patients once they have been referred.

Integrated Care Coordination for Urgent Care

The ICC for Urgent Care is a multidisciplinary team which acts as a single point of access to provide an integrated care coordination (ICC) service for Urgent Care in Staffordshire and Stoke-in-Trent. The ICC for Urgent Care supports health and social care registered professionals to manage the escalation of patients with urgent and complex needs at their usual place of residence to access appropriate care in the most appropriate place by the most appropriate service.  This may be in the community, via an outpatient clinic or even on a virtual ward avoiding unnecessary hospital admissions.

Referrals

For information about how to refer and the type of suitable referrals, please see the information leaflet and poster below. They are in PDF format and will open in the same page:

Virtual wards referral information poster

Virtual wards referral information leaflet

Recruitment

Recruitment is underway to staff the virtual wards. To find out more see our dedicated virtual wards recruitment page.

Contact us

If you would like to find out more about virtual wards, please email: VirtualWardEnquiries@mpft.nhs.uk