2 February 2023
As the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) announces plans to increase NHS ‘virtual wards’ across the UK, Frimley Health reveals the success of its ‘at home’ service caring for patients in Farnham, North East Hampshire and the Surrey Heath areas.
Initially launched in 2021, Frimley Health were one of the first Trusts in the country to introduce the service and has since provided acute hospital care to thousands of patients in their homes who may otherwise have been admitted to hospital.
In the last seven months July 2022 to January 2023, a total of 774 patients were cared for across local communities, with 635 of those (83%) avoiding hospital admission. The latest statistics also show better outcomes for patients and the average ‘length of stay’ reduced to less than 3.5 days, compared to 9.1 days in an acute hospital setting.
The multi-skilled team of consultant geriatricians, advanced nurse practitioners (ANPs), admin support and therapists from the FHFT intermediate care team provides an Urgent Community Response (UCR) service, which means they respond to a patient in crisis within two hours of referral. If ongoing care is required, the patient is then enrolled onto the ‘virtual ward’ and are seen at home or in their care home. The Trust has recently expanded its ‘virtual wards’ service and now also provides at home care for people with respiratory illnesses, supported by a specialist community respiratory team.
The team offers a similar level of care as a hospital ward, depending on the specific needs of each patient and can carry out blood tests, give IV medication, take ECG readings, give a nebuliser or oxygen, perform therapy assessments and provide equipment to help patients’ mobility.
A Frimley Health survey showed that 100% of patients would recommend the service and that many patients recover more quickly when they are cared for in a familiar environment, surrounded by their regular support network.
One patient’s family member said: ‘Exceptional care was given to my father. (The team) were very proactive and sorted out extra problems that they discovered on arrival including a blocked catheter….it is an excellent approach to patient care.”
While another relative, whose Mum was cared for by the UCR team said: “ This service is absolutely wonderful. My mother was assessed very quickly and very efficiently. In the blink of an eye they were taking blood, rehydrating her and giving her anti sickness medication. They visited her again two days later and rehydrated her again and booked her a CT scan. Being able to treat her in a ‘home’ environment was such a positive experience, I cannot say enough times how valuable this service is for the elderly in the community.”
Lucy Abbott, Consultant Geriatrician, and Chief of Service for Community Services and Older people’s medicine, said: “The response from patients has been extremely positive and we’ve seen clear evidence that virtual wards can improve recovery times and either replace the need for admission or help people to safely leave hospital sooner".
“The announcement about an increase in virtual wards services is a promising step forward and will no doubt help more patients to get care they need within their own homes, while also helping to manage operational pressures across the system.”