Digital technology hailed ‘another option’ for NHS ahead of busy winter period
More than 7000 patients with respiratory infections have now been treated on ‘virtual wards’ run by Baywater on behalf of three NHS Trusts.
As the NHS gears up for another busy winter period, more patients are set to be admitted in virtual wards to free up hospital beds.
At the start of 2022, NHS England laid out plans that asked integrated care systems across the country to deliver virtual ward capacity equivalent to 40-50 virtual beds per 1,000,000 population by December 2023
In the West of England for the period November 2020 – September 2022 over 7000 patients were treated and monitored through virtual health services provided by Baywater teams. Remote monitoring at patients’ homes was completed over a two-week period. 75% of patients were able to use their own technology with others using technology provided directly by Baywater.
To enable the growth in virtual wards £200m was made available from the NHS service development fund in 2022-23 and a further £250m will come in 2023-24.
Headquartered in Crewe, Cheshire, Baywater Healthcare employs just under 400 people in the UK. The independent healthcare provider specialises in the supply and delivery of Home Oxygen, Virtual Wards, Telehealth, CPAP Therapy, Non-Invasive Ventilation and Nebuliser services.
Its office is home to a 24-hour call centre, as well as administrative support for telehealth therapy services.
Sophie, the lead for Telehealth services at Baywater Healthcare, said: “Our aim as an organisation is not just to develop better products and services but to improve the quality of people’s lives. The telehealth services provided by our teams can alleviate some of the pressures across our NHS. Our teams are ready and we have significant capacity to deliver more of these services over the coming months across the country.”
Virtual wards are in place across the country, with the NHS increasingly relying on the service to provide patients with the same ‘high-level’ of hospital investigation, management, treatment, and care from their own homes.
Patients utilising the Baywater Health virtual wards service have commented “It was very easy to submit readings and knowing that someone was there keeping an eye on my state of health.”
Another patient commented, “It took away a lot of my anxiety. I received useful advice which helped me communicate better with my GP.”
Nurses and doctors provide care and treatment through remote monitoring and can be contacted 24 hours a day.
Support can include remote monitoring using apps, technology platforms, wearables and medical devices, such as pulse oximeters.
Baywater Healthcare is working with NHS Trusts across the UK as part of a national drive to introduce and maximise the capacity of hospitals through virtual wards.
