The NHS has announced an expansion to its virtual wards programme, with thousands of patients with heart failure set to be treated from home.
It is hoped that the expansion will enable people to remain active and maintain their independence in their own home, while undergoing medical treatment.
The NHS has published new clinical guidance which asks local health systems to expand their use of virtual wards to include heart failure patients who often spend a lot of time in hospital and can now get specialist care from the comfort of their own homes.
People living with heart failure requiring significant input from NHS services make up 5 per cent of all emergency hospital admissions in the UK attributed to the condition.
There are already some heart failure virtual wards in operation including at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (LUHFT) and Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust (MCFT).
Professor Nick Linker, national clinical director for Heart Disease, NHS England said: “It’s estimated there are over 900,000 people in the UK living with heart failure, many of whom will require specialist support and management if their condition deteriorates.
“The expansion of virtual wards for eligible heart failure patients will mean that where clinically appropriate, more people will be able to receive the care and treatment they need from the convenience of their own home and reduce the need for hospital admissions.”
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said: “More than 240,000 patients have already benefitted from virtual wards, and now we are growing this service to patients with heart failure.
“This is a positive development in how the NHS can treat patients, and testament to the hard work of our staff after hitting our target of 10,000 virtual ward beds last month.
“The expansion has been implemented at a key time just before winter, when there will be a lot more pressure on our hospitals and will free up beds for those who need them the most.”
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
