Discover how Doccla's tech-enabled virtual ward is transforming acute NHS capacity. By integrating remote monitoring, our solution optimises patient care, reduces hospital admissions, and ensures high compliance and patient satisfaction.
Table of contents
Introduction
As part of our “Enhancing Acute Capacity in the NHS” series, we previously explored how technological innovations can address the acute capacity constraints within the NHS. We examined how tech-enabled virtual wards can optimise patient care, improve clinical efficiency, and enhance health equity. Now, let's take a look at how our virtual ward is transforming acute capacity in the NHS.
Nearly 40% of hospital admissions are avoidable, putting unnecessary strain on patients and the NHS. Tech-enabled virtual wards enable hospitals to monitor patients remotely, typically at home. This alleviates some pressure on hospitals, improves patient outcomes, and starts to balance health inequalities.
While tech-enabled virtual wards are not a complete replacement for in-person services, they help to reduce costs and emergency admissions for appropriate cases while improving patient outcomes and balancing healthcare inequalities.
Our flexible tech-enabled virtual ward solution
As Europe's largest tech-enabled virtual ward - with millions of monitored patient days across 10+ European countries - our software seamlessly integrates data from various monitoring devices into a single platform for clinicians. We're also the only CQC-registered provider, ensuring we deliver hospital standards and provide end-to-end services for all our partners. Being a complete solution, we manage everything—from supplying and maintaining the devices to logistics and clinical support.
Through Doccla you can expect:
- Comprehensive monitoring: Our system integrates data from various devices, offering clinicians a holistic view.
- High compliance: Achieving a 95% patient compliance rate by helping patients, often elderly, use the devices effectively.
- Patient support: Providing remote access and support, compliance reminders, and proactive calls.
Our tech-enabled virtual ward has already had a significant impact on acute capacity within the NHS.
What does good look like?
The successful implementation of our tech-enabled virtual ward can be seen in various case studies and testimonials from NHS partners. For instance:
- Respiratory pathways: With over 20,000 bed days saved, this pathway demonstrated how tech-enabled monitoring can optimise patient care and reduce hospital admissions.
- Cardiology pathways: More than 12,500 bed days were saved by allowing patients to recover at home with continuous remote monitoring.
- Frailty pathways: Over 7,000 bed days saved, providing frail patients with the care they need without the risks associated with prolonged hospital stays.
Case study: Virtual Ward Cardiology
Overview:
Our tech-enabled virtual ward technology transformed cardiology care for patients, resulting in a reduction in hospital admissions, enhanced patient monitoring, and overall healthcare resource optimisation.
Key statistics:
- Patient days monitored (2023): 63,768
- Bed days saved: >12,500
- Savings per patient: £2,725
- Primary care interactions avoided: 2,603
- Total service layer time saved: 6,900 hours
- Total savings: £159,226
Implementation:
CVD affects more than 7.6 million people in the UK, presenting a significant economic and health-resource burden. Over one million people in the UK have heart failure, and more than 1.5 million have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. Healthcare costs related to heart and circulatory diseases are estimated at £10 billion annually, with a total cost to the UK economy of £25 billion each year.
Our end-to-end virtual ward was implemented across 25 cardiovascular pathways in 18 NHS sites. This integration allowed patients to receive optimal care from the comfort of their homes, significantly reducing costs and freeing up healthcare resources.
Case study: Respiratory Pathways
Overview:
Respiratory diseases, including acute infections and chronic conditions, are a leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and economic burden in England, often resulting in emergency hospital admissions. Working with NHS partners, we established both acute and chronic tech-enabled respiratory pathways in 19 NHS sites across 37 pathways. These services provide support for admission prevention and enable early discharge.
Key statistics:
- Onboarded patients: 3,821
- Bed days saved: 20,633.4
- Total cost saved: £7,711,094
Implementation:
- Acute pathways: 31 pathways focus on patients with acute respiratory illnesses, allowing them to recover safely at home following an exacerbation. This community-based care helps avoid acute hospital admissions and enables early discharge from high-risk settings.
- Chronic pathways: The six chronic pathways, including the ‘Living Well with COPD’ programme in Bristol, empower patients to manage their chronic conditions proactively, preventing acute admissions.
Outcomes:
From December 2020 to April 2024, we helped 3,821 patients with respiratory conditions either get home from the hospital sooner or avoid hospital admissions altogether. This equates to 66,357 patient active days away from NHS hospital beds.
Benefits:
- Reduced acute admissions: Evidenced reduction in acute hospital admissions and primary care interactions.
- Efficiency gains: Streamlined onboarding, compliance, observations, and clinical monitoring.
- Time and cost savings: Our remote patient monitoring has saved the NHS 466,976 minutes, equating to £169,668 or £44.40 per patient on our respiratory pathways.
We empower suitable patients to take and submit their own vitals and observations using carefully selected Bluetooth-enabled medical devices and a user-friendly app, ensuring efficient and effective patient care.
Over 95% of patients on these respiratory pathways rate our service as ‘good’ or ‘very good’, frequently stating that they ‘prefer it to hospital’, it ‘made them feel safe’, ‘more informed’ and ‘in control’ of their health.
Here’s what some patients had to say:
“The setting up was really good. The guy who set us up was fantastic. He was really patient, because we're a bit technophobic, aren't we? He talked us through everything and he was really patient, so we were really pleased.”
“So it was easy. Someone would phone back and say we're a bit concerned about this. Can you retake the blood pressure? Or can you retake [readings from] the oximeter? We felt very supported.”
“You know that someone's at the end of the phone to answer. It was very reassuring. It was very simple to use. And very effective. I thought it was brilliant.”
Case study: Asthma home monitoring service
Overview:
We partnered with Northampton General Hospital (NGH) to implement a home monitoring service in its asthma care pathway. This initiative aimed to address significant gaps in services for acute exacerbations, difficulties in accessing specialist support, and increasing waiting times, which were significantly exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Problems solved:
- The gap in services for acute exacerbation
- Access to specialist support was difficult
- Increasing waiting times
Key statistics:
- Savings per year: £152,800
- Avoided admissions: 75%
- Reduction in readmissions: 15%
- Reduction in length of stay: 11%
- Patient compliance: 98.6%
- Patients “very satisfied”: 97%
- Reduction in bed days: 30%
Implementation:
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the difficulty asthma patients faced in accessing specialist care, leading to increased pressure on emergency services. By establishing a virtual ward, NGH enabled early intervention and medical/medication review at home, significantly reducing hospital attendance and admissions.
Visits to wards and A&E built relationships, and clinicians were asked to allow the ASN to review asthma patients regardless of admission criteria. We provided home monitoring kits, including various devices and a preconfigured mobile phone. Service agents onboarded the patients, assisted with their initial readings, and supported them throughout the monitoring period. The ASN reviewed patient measurements via the clinician dashboard.
Outcomes:
Our integration into NGH’s Asthma Care Pathway through home monitoring significantly improved patient outcomes and operational efficiency.
What our patients say
“I found the home monitoring very good, easy to use and was of great comfort to me knowing that you could see how I was progressing and how I was managing. I think also the contact I had from Doccla was absolutely brilliant with the phone calls. It was much better than having to possibly end up in A&E”.
“It allowed me flexibility as I didn’t need to visit the hospital, which helped with my recovery. I was able to stay at home and rest with the absolute reassurance that I was being looked after and monitored remotely. After a few days I made a full recovery and know that if at any time I call the Asthma mobile number, I will be seen in clinic as soon as possible.”
What our partners say:
“Initially, I was sceptical of virtual wards. However, Doccla’s solution really works. Clinicians and patients love it.”
Dr Fiona McCann
Respiratory Consultant and Clinical Lead for Respiratory Medicine
Northampton General Hospital
Seamless integration and comprehensive support
Implementing our tech-enabled virtual ward is straightforward and comprehensive. We provide:
- Logistics and device provision: We handle the collection, distribution, and maintenance of monitoring devices.
- Customer support: Our expert support agents assist patients with onboarding, compliance, and troubleshooting. They patiently guide patients through each pathway, explaining how to use each device to take their vital readings and submit them, often automatically via Bluetooth, for clinicians to review.
- Clinical monitoring: Our highly skilled clinicians provide remote monitoring and decision-making support - should you need additional help-, ensuring patient safety and timely interventions.
As the only CQC-registered tech-enabled virtual ward in the UK, we adhere to stringent guidelines, ensuring high-quality and safe care. We use the best third-party equipment, allowing flexibility and agility in meeting patient and clinician needs. Our commitment to stringent data security measures ensures the protection of patient information, complying with GDPR and other relevant regulations.
Our comprehensive policies and procedures cover governance, safeguarding, health and safety, and data protection, ensuring that all aspects of patient care are meticulously managed. Our digital infrastructure is reliable, secure, and user-friendly, ensuring that both patients and healthcare providers can use it effectively and safely.
We provide extensive training for our staff and implement stringent data security measures to protect patient information, complying with GDPR and other relevant regulations.
Our commitment to high standards ensures that we deliver safe, effective, and innovative care solutions, helping to alleviate the chronic strain on the NHS and improving patient outcomes.
Our tech-enabled virtual ward substantially helps the NHS enhance acute capacity and improve patient care. Ready to transform your operations and improve patient outcomes? Contact us today to see how Doccla can make a difference.
