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Even though the concept of virtual wards has existed for some time, it was not until the recent pandemic that, the use of virtual wards has expanded with an apparent good effect to manage selected patients with COVID-19 using a pulse oximeter and monitoring through secondary care. 1 It is now apparent that virtual wards allow patients to get the care they need at home safely and conveniently rather than being in a hospital. The NHS is increasingly introducing virtual wards to support people at home.2 Respiratory diseases affect one in five people and are the third leading cause of death in England. Hospital admissions for lung disease have risen over the past 7 years at three times the rate of all admissions generally. The annual economic burden of asthma and COPD on the NHS in the UK is estimated at £3 billion and £1.9 billion, respectively. In total, all lung conditions directly cost the NHS in the UK £11 billion annually.3 Respiratory Virtual wards are an area of rapid development within the NHS and the respiratory department at our regional centre has taken this opportunity and evolve the respiratory virtual ward service with daily senior clinical input, virtual ward MDT meeting, integration of adult community respiratory service and utilising innovative monitoring devices to deliver high-quality care safely and conveniently for people at home. The primary aim of this study was to learn whether evolving respiratory virtual ward services would result in a significant positive impact on the care of people living with long-term lung diseases. The patients were referred to the Respiratory virtual ward from a variety of clinical teams including ED, GPs, community services and hospital wards. We monitored the activity of our virtual ward retrospectively from July 2023 to October 2023. An in-depth review of the virtual ward notes along with discharge summaries were analysed retrospectively and the results were then used to derive the data. A total number of 66 patients were included in the study spanning from July 2023 to September 2023. During their stay in the virtual ward, 39 Patients underwent investigations such as bloods, CXR and CT Thorax. Further investigations such as spirometry, CT thorax etc were arranged for 31 patients when discharged from the virtual ward. Out of 66 patients, 37 were referred to relevant outpatient sub-speciality clinics. 10 patients were referred to community services for support and further management of the underlying lung conditions. 27 Patients had a change in their management plans after the clinic review. This study confirms that evolving the respiratory virtual ward services with daily senior clinical input can; • improve the treatment and support for patients with respiratory diseases, • deliver the commitments outlined in the NHS Respiratory Disease Long-term plan • prevent hundreds of hospital admissions This innovative approach is delivering high-quality care, safely and conveniently for people at home - where they would rather be, albeit it is an evolving process and there is still room for much improvement.
Irshad et al. (Mon,) studied this question.