The aim is to provide patients with the care, support and reassurance they need to manage their condition from the comfort of their home, while alleviating the pressure on hospitals and GP surgeries.
The Respiratory@Home service was initially set up to support Covid positive patients but has since been expanded to monitor a wider range of respiratory conditions. Following referral from 111, GP surgeries, hospitals or other clinical settings, patients are assessed and either monitored via the Respiratory@Home ‘virtual ward’ service or referred to hospital where needed.
How it works
- A Care Coordinator speaks to all patients admitted onto the service to describe how it works, what to expect and the next steps
- Patients are given an oximeter and asked to record their results in a diary, usually three times a day
- Support is available from a clinical team to report symptoms and take action if symptoms get worse
- A Care Coordinator will text or call patients each day to receive the results
- Specially trained GPs conducts a daily virtual ward round to check on patients’ progress
How it helps
Enabling patients to stay at home with anytime access to clinical support is not only more convenient and cost effective, it also helps to reduce the risk of further infection, particularly during the ongoing pandemic.
In the first year of operating (since April 2021) over 1880 patients have been admitted to the virtual ward. We estimate that this has reduced hospital admissions, delivered significant cost savings to the NHS and provided more convenient care for patients.