NHS England unveils ambitious plans to enhance access to virtual wards
In a move to reduce avoidable hospital admissions and decrease emergency department waiting times, NHS England has introduced proposals to expand virtual ward services. This initiative follows a report by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine revealing the impact of prolonged emergency care waits. With national guidance and funding of £150 million, hospitals are urged to prioritize minimizing ED wait times to under 12 hours. Building on previous successes, NHS England aims to enhance urgent and emergency care services through increased utilization of virtual ward beds, specifically focusing on patients with frailty, respiratory issues, heart failure, and children. The plan includes the development of a virtual wards operational framework to ensure scalability and maximize benefits across the board. Through measures such as direct referrals to same-day emergency care and targeted support for frequent A&E users, NHS England is confident in achieving further improvements and reducing long wait times for patients. Reflecting on these efforts, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Adrian Boyle, expressed support for the ongoing commitment to enhancing urgent and emergency care services. An evaluation of virtual ward effectiveness in the south east of England highlighted significant reductions in hospital admissions, with the potential to prevent 178,000 admissions nationwide over the next two years if the model is adopted widely. However, the evaluation also noted disparities in representation among different demographic groups, prompting the need for targeted research to address access barriers. In a related development, NHS England previously announced plans to expand virtual ward services to include heart failure patients, underscoring the organization’s proactive approach to improving healthcare services.
