From hospital to home: Duncan's Virtual Ward experience
When Duncan was admitted to hospital with a severe case of cellulitis, he knew he was seriously unwell.
After arriving at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital's A&E department with a high fever, he was assessed within minutes and quickly transferred for specialist assessment. His condition deteriorated rapidly, requiring intravenous antibiotics and a five-day inpatient stay before he was well enough to continue his recovery at home.
Duncan was then supported through the Virtual Ward service, which enables some patients to receive hospital-level care in the place they call home. Using remote monitoring technology and support from a dedicated team of healthcare professionals, Virtual Wards help people recover safely at home while remaining under clinical supervision.
While Duncan experienced some delays with medication and discharge paperwork, his experience of the Virtual Ward was overwhelmingly positive.
Within hours of returning home, the Virtual Ward team contacted him to arrange their first visit. Over the following two weeks, nurses visited regularly to monitor his recovery, take blood tests, re-dress his leg and ensure his infection continued to improve. They coordinated follow-up care, arranged his fit note and GP appointment, and provided reassurance that specialist advice was always available if his condition changed.
Duncan shared, "For me, the Virtual Ward worked very, very well. It took pressure off the GP and the hospital. Dressing my leg and taking medication didn't require me to be in a hospital bed. It freed up the bed for someone who really needed it. Knowing that if I needed help, they were there, was very reassuring."
Recovering at home also had an important impact on Duncan's wellbeing. Being surrounded by family and friends, sleeping in his own bed and recovering in familiar surroundings helped him feel more positive and engaged in his recovery, while still receiving expert clinical care.
As Duncan's experience demonstrates, Virtual Wards can provide more than an alternative to a hospital bed. Virtual Wards can help people maintain their independence, avoid unnecessary time in hospital and recover in familiar surroundings, close to family, friends and the things that matter most to them. They also help reduce the risk of deconditioning, which can occur when people spend long periods in hospital and experience a loss of strength and mobility.
Duncan's experience was gathered by Healthwatch Shropshire and shared with the Integrated Care Board to inform discussions about the future development of Virtual Wards, including opportunities to improve discharge processes, strengthen patient communication and explore expanding the model into new pathways such as paediatrics.
