NNUH Virtual Ward highlighted at national conference
Claire Beard, our Virtual Ward Manager, attended an NHS Virtual Wards Summit recently, organised by Convenzis Group, to share the amazing work that’s carried out here.
Virtual Wards allow patients to receive treatment from the comfort of their own homes, freeing up hospital beds and alleviating pressure on hospitals.
The Conference brought together senior healthcare professionals, policy leaders, and industry stakeholders to address the most pressing challenges and advancements in the sector. It encouraged collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and discussion of strategy development among other NHS professionals.
At the conference Claire shared our vision of a virtual hospital and spoke about the three main stakeholders on our ward:
• Patients, for whom hospitals can be a very scary environment, and who will sleep, eat and mobilise better at home away from noise and disturbances in hospital.
• Clinicians, for whom virtual care offers the opportunity to restore that personal touch – helping nurses, for instance, return to “grassroots” nursing and truly get to know patients.
• Trusts, for whom virtual care plays a crucial role in addressing increasing capacity challenges by providing an alternative pathway to safe and effective acute care.
Claire said: “We have had over 6000 patients through our Virtual Ward in just over four years and are approaching 50,000 bed days given back to the Trust. The take home message from the day is that Our Virtual Ward remains one of the most mature and well established in the country, with several other trusts striving to achieve a similar model of a 24/7 true alternative to a hospital admission with round the clock care and attention, with a consistent 98% and above patient satisfaction rating. We have an envious national reputation that is thanks to the hard work and dedication of all of the Virtual Ward staff. ”