New 'hospital at home' programme could save 8,000 beds a year

VIRTUAL wards, to help doctors treat patients in their own homes, have been set up by the Minister of Health, Stephen Donnelly.

The Acute Virtual Ward programme will be piloted in two hospitals: University Hospital Limerick (UHL)  and St Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin.

The programme will begin in early 2024 and will enable patients, who would previously have had to stay in hospital, to be monitored and treated for some illnesses in their own homes.

“Expansion of virtual services and the effective utilisation of digital technology in healthcare needs to happen, as I believe it has huge potential,” said Minister Donnelly.

“The technology-enabled scheme also supports patients’ preferences for better integrated services, closer, or indeed in their own homes.”

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The pioneering ‘hospital at home’ scheme is suitable for a range of different conditions, and is used in other countries for patients with heart disease and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), for example.

Patients receiving care under a virtual ward will also remain under the care of their doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. 

Ward rounds involve a home visit, or video call. Patients will be given electronic gadgets, such as blood-pressure cuffs or thermometers, so that hospital staff can still collect data.

According to research, the virtual ward could potentially save over 8,000 bed days per year in each of the acute hospitals.

While the Minister has funded the opening of an additional 1,100 (net) acute hospital beds and a 25% increase in critical care capacity since he took office, he said the health service still has fewer beds than it needs.