Croydon Health Services Trust pioneers virtual ward services, leveraging technology to ease NHS emergency care demands and optimise patient outcomes and comfort.
Across the UK, the demand on NHS urgent and emergency care services are ratcheting up, propelled by a confluence of factors including the enduring effects of covid-19, high occupancy rates in acute patient beds, and a notable extension in the duration of inpatient stays.
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Earlier this year, NHS England stated their ambition to deliver “a health system that provides more and better care in people’s homes, gets ambulances to people more quickly when they need them, sees people faster when they go to hospital and helps people safely leave hospital having received the care they need”.
Aligned with NHSE’s vision for a more efficient health system, professionals like Anna Ryan, Virtual Ward/Rapid Response Hospital Based ANP at Croydon Health Services Trust, are on the frontline, addressing urgent and emergency care challenges. In our conversation with Anna, she sheds light on the innovative approach of utilising virtual ward services to alleviate the pressures on these critical healthcare components.
Anna’s team at Croydon relies on integrated technology and close collaboration with specialised teams to enable effective patient care, ultimately alleviating pressure on the urgent and emergency care services. Their interconnected approach involves regular multidisciplinary team meetings, ensuring appropriate care and medication titration for each patient on all clinical pathways. Easy and effective communication has enabled the team to streamline patient referrals and enhance overall healthcare coordination in their delivery of Croydon Health Services Trust’s 105 bed virtual ward.
Remote care-at-home helps the NHS allocate resources more effectively through the prioritisation of patient health needs, ensuring that each patient receives the appropriate level of care, maximising the impact of clinical team resources. The optimisation of remote patient monitoring, virtual consultations, patient notifications and surveys combine to enable healthcare providers to focus on patients with the most pressing needs while looking after a large volume of patients.
Anna notes that remote patient monitoring has significantly increased the team’s capacity for treating and managing patients, saving time and resources compared to face-to-face visits. Using technology makes administering healthcare more efficient: it supports staff, reduces accident and emergency visits, and provides reassurance to patients receiving care in the comfort of their home.
To help ensure the adoption of their virtual ward service, Anna credits effective communication across the trust for creating awareness and behavioural change. The community team’s consistent communication and hard work contribute to the growing awareness and collaboration across healthcare teams, resulting in positive clinical outcomes, improved resource utilisation and glowing patient feedback.
Anna passionately says, “At Croydon we pride ourselves in providing the right care in the right place for patients, which is the key for the virtual ward. We provide medical support and treatment in the comfort of their own home, with the added benefit of remote monitoring to support their medical plans”.
Virtual wards are proving to be an effective model for NHS organisations to tackle the ongoing challenges facing urgent and emergency care services. To learn more about remote care at home, its benefits, and how Current Health is supporting the NHS, visit here or contact Louise Hough on 07480893350 or louise.hough@currenthealth.com.
