NHS image

NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care System (LLR ICS) has appointed a new technology partner to support the introduction of virtual wards for patients to facilitate more timely treatment.

Spirit Health’s technology will help free up the ICS’ hospital bed space and enable the remote monitoring of patients’ conditions.

At the end of June, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) committed to the rapid expansion of virtual wards in its digitalisation plan. The goal is to have 40-50 virtual ward ‘beds’ per 100,000 of the population by March 2024. This will help drive efficiency, free up hospital space and clinician time, save the health and social care systems money, and tackle the COVID backlogs, according to government.

NHS England guidance for ICS leads on embedding successful virtual wards defines them as: “A virtual ward is a safe and efficient alternative to NHS bedded care that is enabled by technology. Virtual wards support patients who would otherwise be in hospital to receive the acute care, monitoring and treatment they need in their own home. This includes either preventing avoidable admissions into hospital or supporting early discharge out of hospital.”

Spirit Health’s remote monitoring platform, CliniTouch Vie, is designed to allow NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICS patients to manage their condition at home with support from clinical teams who can act swiftly if the patient’s health deteriorates.

Dr. Caroline Trevithick, Chief Nursing Officer/Deputy Chief Executive for the NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, said: “Having the right technology partner is crucial in a successful virtual ward to keep everything running smoothly and ensure patients, relatives and health professionals feel supported and confident at all times.

“Spirit Health have been working with local NHS organisations during the pandemic on the pilot virtual ward schemes and we are delighted to be continuing our journey with them as we expand the virtual ward programme in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.”

The virtual ward service has been arranged by NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland and will be provided by a collaborative of local organisations, including University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, and LOROS.

The local NHS and Spirit Health will be working with patients over the next few months to refine the remote monitoring system to support patients in a way that works for them.

In addition to the virtual wards, Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland will also be working with Spirit Health to implement digitised pathways across primary, secondary and community care to improve long term condition management, for example digitised asthma enabling remote monitoring at home.

Dr Noel O’Kelly, Clinical Director at Spirit Health, concluded: “Spirit Health is delighted to be partnering with the LLR ICS following the success of our pilot virtual ward project launched during the pandemic.

“Under this new partnership, we will work with the LLR ICS to deliver enhanced patient experiences and outcomes across 9 health pathways using our remote patient monitoring technology. Patients will benefit from quick, simple and continuous access to healthcare professionals – helping more people to feel better connected and cared for, all from the comfort of their own homes.”

AT TODAY UPDATES
Over 7,000 healthcare professionals stay informed about the latest assistive technology with AT Today. Do you?
We respect your privacy