NHS Sussex's virtual ward programme marks milestone in delivering home-based urgent care

Virtual wards have been available in Sussex since April 2022 – and over the last year have supported more than 5,418 people to stay out of hospital and to receive care at home.

They are used by health and care partners to support an individual to avoid going into hospital in the first place, or to be able to discharge them as soon as they are medically able, and to continue to care for them at home.

A recent independent evaluation analysing more than 22,000 spells of care and found that virtual wards in South East England have significantly impacted non-elective hospital activity. On average, one non-elective admission avoided correlated with 2.5 virtual ward admissions.

Dr Andrew Hodson, interim Chief Medical Officer, at NHS Sussex said: “Virtual wards are an important part of our approach to reduce unnecessary hospital admissions, prioritise patient-centred care at home and ensure that people are being supported in the right place and by the most appropriate service across our Sussex system.

“Feedback from patients and carers has been positive, and we know that it is also having a significant impact on the way our teams work to support people across our communities.

“This independent report demonstrates the benefits of virtual wards and has provided us with valuable insights to guide our development plans for this coming year, as we work to enhance capacity, reduce demand on our hospitals, further improve patient experience, and align with NHS England ambitions for virtual wards.”

In Sussex, general virtual wards are provided by East Sussex Health Care NHS Trust (ESHT), and Sussex Community Foundation NHS Trust (SCFT) in collaboration with University Hospitals Sussex (UHSx) and Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (SaSH) There are also specialty pathways focused on providing care to patients with heart failure, frailty, and respiratory conditions as part of the expansion this year.

Looking ahead, plans for 2024-25 aim to further expand the virtual ward capacity across our communities to ensure people are getting the right support in the right place by the most appropriate health and care service.