Revealed: How NHS bosses plan to convert patients’ BEDROOMS into hospital wards to alleviate the bedside crisis
- Patients get phones and wearable devices that doctors can monitor
- Up to 25,000 people can be treated under the ‘hospital’ scheme
- Patients can be discharged earlier or avoid hospitalization
- The plan is part of the cabinet plan for digital care and welfare
The NHS will ask patients to turn their bedrooms into hospital wards in an effort to free up hospital beds and tackle waiting lists.
They will be given cell phones and wearable devices that allow doctors to monitor their vital signs remotely in “virtual wards.”
In March 2024, up to 25,000 people can be treated simultaneously under the ‘hospital at home’ scheme, which means a major capacity boost.
And it could mean that patients are discharged from the hospital sooner — or that hospitalization isn’t necessary in the first place.
The initiative is part of the cabinet plan for digital care and social care, which was published today.
The NHS will ask patients to turn their bedrooms into hospital wards in an effort to free up hospital beds and tackle waiting lists (ward stock image)
It outlines ministers’ ambitions to rapidly expand the use of technology within the NHS in a bid to save billions of pounds over the next decade.
Proposals include expanding the use of remote monitoring, improving the NHS app and rolling out digital health and social care records in hospitals and care homes.
The government will create 10,500 additional data and technology roles and increase training in these areas for new and existing staff.
The extensive use of ‘virtual wards’ comes after Amanda Pritchard, CEO of NHS England, admitted too many beds had been cut. About 25,000 staffed beds have been lost since 2010/11, with fewer beds per capita than in comparable countries.
Ms Pritchard told the NHS ConfedExpo conference this month: ‘We have passed the point where that efficiency becomes effectively inefficient.’ A shortage of beds, along with delays in the discharge of medically fit patients into social care, have contributed to longer waiting times for routine surgeries and in the emergency room.
There are a record 6.5 million people on the NHS waiting lists, and the number has soared in recent months due to disruptions caused by the pandemic.
More than 280,000 people have remotely monitored their conditions, such as asthma, at home and in care homes in the past year, freeing up hospital beds and clinicians’ time.
According to the Ministry of Health and Social Care, this has led to improvements in patient outcomes, with previously identified problems, shorter hospital stays and fewer admissions. According to the plan, an additional 500,000 people could be supported in this way by March next year.
By September 2024, patients will also be able to perform their pre-assessment checks in the hospital at home.
In March 2024, a maximum of 25,000 people can be treated at a time under the ‘home hospital’ scheme with a significant increase in capacity (ambulance stock)
With upcoming versions of the NHS app, patients will be able to book and reschedule hospital appointments and communicate with their GP practices.
It will also provide greater access to medical records and be used for remote consultations. More than 28 million people have already downloaded it.
Health and Social Care Minister Sajid Javid said: ‘We are embarking on a radical modernization program that will ensure the NHS is set up to meet the challenges of 2048 – not 1948, when it was first established.
“This plan builds on our data strategy to revolutionize digital health and care, enabling patients to manage hospital appointments from the NHS app and gain greater control over their own care at home, address issues faster and seek help earlier.
“Ensuring more personalization and better connectivity to the system will benefit patients, free up clinicians’ time and help us reduce the Covid backlog.”
dr. Timothy Ferris, Director of Transformation at NHS England, said: ‘By harnessing the power of digital and data, we can improve both the way people access services and the way we deliver care.
“Today’s plan for digital health and care outlines an ambitious vision for a future where the NHS puts more power and information at the fingertips of patients, and staff have the tools they need to deliver better and more collaborative services.”