Virtual Ward
Author: Tom Archer, Project Support Officer, STH
Published Date: August 2024
Date to Review: February 2024
On 5th January 2023, Sheffield opened a Virtual Ward for Frail older patients. A virtual ward bed offers a safe and efficient alternative to an acute hospital bed for some patients, providing acute care, monitoring and treatment in their own home.
Our aim is to provide a better care experience for frail older patients, enabling them to remain in their usual place of residence or a community inpatient bed, when they present with urgent or emergent care needs due to intercurrent illness. We hope this will increase choice and reduce the risks to our patients associated with hospital admission including delirium, falls and deconditioning.
The patient will not be discharged to the GP but will remain under the care of the Virtual Ward team. Documentation of the patient’s progress on the Virtual Ward will be on SystmOne. At the end of their stay on the virtual ward, they will be discharged to their own GP with a discharge summary completed within SystmOne.
Please contact SPA 0114 2266566/ 0114 2713766 if you are a GP with a clinical query about someone on the VW.
The Sheffield Frailty Virtual Ward care is delivered by STH Community Services and the Geriatric Medicine team. Community Matrons and Healthcare Staff work to provide care needed for patients, with oversight from a Consultant Geriatrician. Patients are monitored to ensure that they are receiving the right treatment at the right time, and a support package is put in place with access to rapid diagnostics, a plan for escalation and a support package if needed.
This Virtual Ward has been co-designed using “Big Room” improvement methodology, with engagement from colleagues from acute and community services and primary care. We will continue using improvement methodology, to learn and to introduce incremental tests of change.
The ward has begun with patients who will ‘step down’ from the Frailty Assessment Unit. We currently have 10 operational beds. We are looking to progress to a ‘step up’ approach as we gain confidence. Helen Wear, Consultant Geriatrician, is the lead for the service and its development. Attached is a description of the service offer.
We plan to engage with Primary Care colleagues to discuss and review our combined experiences as the ward develops, however we welcome any comments and feedback at any time, which can be sent to sth.virtualwards@nhs.net.