Healthcare delivery
Parenteral Antimicrobial Treatment scheme and Respiratory Community Response Teams were able to offer more than 600 virtual beds to treat patients for conditions that would traditionally need hospitalisation – an increase of over a third from the number of beds available at the start of January 2022. The Scottish Government also reported positive feedback in 2023 derived from interviews with pathway representatives.1 An accompanying ‘rapid evidence review’ highlighted that “people were satisfied with Virtual Capacity (VC) services and liked being in the comfort and familiarity of their own home”. The report concluded that virtual hospital beds
could provide “acute level care outwith inpatient wards, supporting people with acute level needs, and alleviating pressure on hospitals by providing a complementary service” and that a national focus had “helped to accelerate change”. Of course, there have naturally been
challenges and concerns to overcome too – primarily those related to patient safety and effective communication among care teams – and some of these perceptions have lingered. Other issues recurrently placed under the
Local providers have continued to ensure that both clinicians and patients have been involved in helping to co-design virtual wards from the very start of development.
spotlight have been claims of virtual bed costs outweighing those of traditional inpatient care, issues over workforce recruitment, and the need for strong, dependable, user-friendly remote monitoring technology in order to effectively replace the preference of some for traditional face-to-face care. Helping to overcome that, local providers
have continued to ensure that both clinicians and patients have been involved in helping to co-design virtual wards from the very start of development, encouraging buy-in, heightened confidence, and greater understanding of what is involved for both parties. Part of that has meant people identified for
virtual ward care being fully supported through admission by their clinician, and dedicated training for virtual ward teams – particularly with both remote monitoring and in-person
clinical visits requiring diverse skillsets. It has also meant leveraging comprehensive
data to help make bespoke decisions that address localised needs. Increasingly convinced that such goals could be achieved, the Scottish Government announced further plans in 2023 to increase capacity by more than 150 virtual beds, representing a 50% rise. Responding to that announcement, former
Health Secretary, Michael Matheson, said: “Hospital at Home has already proved to be very successful and most importantly, beneficial to patients and the wider system. Patients have spoken very positively about the service, and it also reduces pressure on A&E and the Scottish Ambulance Service by avoiding admissions and accelerating discharge. Hospital beds will always be available to people who need them, but this is a better alternative for many.”
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