Community Virtual Ward

Community Virtual Ward allows patients to receive hospital monitoring and treatment at home, preventing avoidable admissions to hospital.

There are three treatment pathways:
• Respiratory
• Frailty
• Heart Failure

If suitable for virtual ward care, patients are trained how to use a device which sends continuous or intermittent observations including their breathing, heart rate, and skin temperature directly to the Community Virtual Ward team.

We expect patients to be under the Community Virtual Ward for up to 14 days, depending on their treatment plans and recovery.

If there is a sign of health deterioration, such as blood pressure rising, the Community Virtual Ward team will get an alert immediately. Staff will call the patient over the phone or by video call to talk through any health changes and to decide on the most appropriate next steps.

The service will run 8am to 8pm, seven days a week and will work alongside established nursing and therapy teams including the intravenous (IV) therapy team providing IV treatments at home.

Where does this service operate?

ECCH’s Community Virtual Ward is available to patients registered with a GP in the Great Yarmouth and Waveney area. We are providing the service in partnership with NCH&C who launched a similar service for patients in Norwich in September. The plan is to roll out the model across the rest of Norfolk and Waveney by the end of the year.

Who is appropriate for Community Virtual Ward?

The service is appropriate for patients over 18 with conditions including respiratory disease, frailty, and heart failure.

Patients in any community setting including community hospitals, residential care homes and nursing homes can also be referred.

Patients must be able to manage the remote monitoring technology with support.

What type of patients are not appropriate for Community Virtual Ward?

Patients who cannot be referred to Community Virtual Ward include:

• Patients with no fixed abode

• Patients with advanced cognitive conditions who do not have the continuous support of family or carers

• Patients requiring intravenous therapy with a recent history of illicit intravenous drug misuse

• Patients with a presenting condition that require acute assessment or admission and are deemed unsafe to remain in a community setting