Healthcare delivery
Table 4, three in five have significant work to do in increasing referrals to and utilisation of the Virtual Ward capacity that has been created.
Conclusion Virtual Wards are and will continue to be an important part of the solution to addressing the operational pressures facing the NHS and to building resilience into local systems. Although
considerable progress has been made in developing Virtual Ward capacity over the past 18 months and the short-term target of 10,000 Virtual Ward beds has been met, there remains a significant ‘gap’ between ‘where we are now’ and ‘where we want to be’ nationally, regionally, and locally.
Most ICBs will need to invest significant time and effort into developing and expanding their
local Virtual Ward programmes if they are to achieve NHS England’s ambitions of 40 to 50 Virtual Ward ‘beds’ per 100,000 population and target occupancy of 80% and fully deliver the benefits of Virtual Wards locally for patients, carers, staff and the system. Access to sufficient and sustainable funding;
attracting, developing, and retaining a skilled workforce; collaborative joined-up working between partners from across the health and care system, including independent sector specialist providers such as HomeLink Healthcare; will be all be essential to ensure these ambitions are achieved and the benefits delivered.
References 1. Making the most of Virtual Wards, including Hospital A Home’, GIRFT and NHE England Virtual Ward Programme, November 2023 Update
Table 4. Virtual Ward Bed Occupancy - No of ICBs by Occupancy Range, Nov 2023 Case Study: HomeLink Healthcare -
NHS Norfolk & Waveney ICB and the findings used to inform and improve subsequent developments and to share learnings and benefits across the ICB. Today, Hospital at Home services are delivered through multiple pathways - Virtual Wards, Reablement, Early Supported Discharge and Discharge to Assess – which are playing a key role in helping Norfolk & Waveney ICB to increase hospital capacity, improve patient flow, reduce delayed discharges, and deliver great patient outcomes. Key achievements of this partnership include:
HomeLink Healthcare (‘HomeLink’), an independent clinician-led organisation, has been a specialist provider of safe, high-quality Hospital at Home services since 2016 and Virtual Ward services since 2019. HomeLink currently works closely in collaboration with NHS partner organisations in four of the seven NHS England regions. One of these regions is the East of England, which as stated earlier is the best-performing area in terms of Virtual Ward capacity with 26.2 beds per 100k population. HomeLink has been working across Norfolk which covers a largely rural
and Waveney ICS,7
area, and with the local NHS acute provider organisations since 2019 to respond to exceptional capacity challenges. The widely dispersed local population and long travel times creates challenges in providing consistent and equitable access to community and home-based care across the ICS. The relatively isolated location makes it hard
to attract and retain enough community nurses, physiotherapists, and healthcare assistants to deliver Virtual Wards, and, in common with many systems, it faced a longstanding acute capacity ‘gap’ that became more severe in 2020. The partnership with HomeLink began at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) and expanded to include James Paget University Hospital, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn and Norfolk & Waveney ICB. A Virtual Ward was developed at NNUH in 2019
38
www.clinicalservicesjournal.com I March 2024
l The partnership has saved 45,000 bed days (January 2019 to April 2023).
l Services were delivered at 45% of the inpatient cost.8
l 17% improvement in self-reported clinical outcome measures (EQ-5D-5L January 2019 to February 2023).
l Today, the service frees up the equivalent of two hospital wards every day (56 hospital beds).
l 99+% of patients would highly recommend HomeLink (patients scoring 8+ out of 10).
l The partnership was short-listed for an HSJ partnership award in 2023.
To download the case study and see a video, created by NHS England, which features HomeLink Healthcare delivering Virtual Ward services to patients within Norfolk and Waveney ICS, please visit: https://homelinkhealthcare.
co.uk
About the author
Tracey Barr is a highly regarded independent strategy consultant specialising in healthcare and digital with over 30 years’ experience. She provides consultancy and coaching support to clients to help them develop, grow, improve and exit their businesses.
2. GIRFT: Get It Right First Time 3. Delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services, NHS England, January 2023
4. Enablers for Success: Virtual Wards including hospital at home, NHS England, Version 1, 25 April 2022
5. Virtual Ward Sit Rep Analysis, July 2023, November 2023
6. Virtual Ward Sit Rep Analysis, July 2023, November 2023
7. HomeLink Healthcare: Case Study Norfolk & Waveney, https://homelinkhealthcare.
co.uk/resource/collaboration-with-four-nhs- organisations-frees-up-two-hospital-wards- every-day/
8. James Paget University Hospital, January 2021 to August 2022
CSJ
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