The Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership is expanding tech-enabled virtual wards across the region with assistance from Inhealthcare, a leading provider of digital health and remote patient monitoring services.
The collaboration of health and care organisations serves an area with a population of 1.7 million people living in cities, market towns and rural and coastal communities.
Virtual wards allow patients to leave hospital sooner, receive care at home, avoid unnecessary admissions and have more choice in their care. They also improve patient flow through the wider health and care system.
The initiative aims to reduce pressure on hospital beds and improve patient outcomes.
There are currently more than 220 virtual ward beds in Humber and North Yorkshire. The new technology will allow even more patients with frailty, respiratory and heart problems, and other related conditions to be cared for and monitored in their own homes.
Those who choose to use the service are given medical devices such as blood pressure cuffs, pulse oximeters and thermometers and shown how to take readings. Patients share their readings with care teams via a choice of communication channels including mobile app, text message or landline telephone.
If any fall out of range, care teams can intervene to give advice and support as needed.
There are plans to roll out up to 244 virtual beds by March 2025 across Humber and North Yorkshire – including some paediatric beds – at a number of NHS providers, including Care Plus Group, City Health Care Partnership, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Anticipated benefits include improved efficiency and productivity, financial savings, improved patient experience, improved staff experience and environmental sustainability.
Dr Nigel Wells, NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board’s (ICB) Executive Director for Clinical and Professional Care, said: “There are not many patients I speak to who want to be admitted to hospital – given a choice, they would much rather remain at home, in familiar surroundings with family and friends close by.
“The rollout of technology in our virtual wards in Humber and North Yorkshire allows more patients who are unwell to remain in their own homes, but connected through technology to the same level of medical monitoring and clinical expertise they would get if they were on a physical hospital ward.”
Max Jones, Chief Digital and Information Officer, at NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB added: “Digital technology and innovation is helping us to transform the way we provide health and care and offer new ways to support people to stay well at home.
“We know that in many cases, a patient will recover better in familiar surroundings and closer to family and friends; the innovation and technology used to provide our virtual wards means patients can still be monitored remotely while they recuperate, enabling us to continue to detect abnormalities and address them in the appropriate way.
“We look forward to collaborating with Inhealthcare to help reduce pressure on hospital beds and improve patient outcomes.”
Natalie Duffield, Sales and Marketing Director at Inhealthcare, said: “We are excited to partner with the Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership to help realise its vision of transforming healthcare delivery through digital technology and innovation.
“Our digital health and remote monitoring services empower patients, support healthcare professionals and enhance the efficiency and sustainability of health and care systems.”
In West Yorkshire, Inhealthcare is deploying virtual wards across Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, and Wakefield to support the delivery of safe and convenient care to people at home who would otherwise be in hospital.