NHS bosses plan to alleviate bed crisis by turning patients’ bedrooms into wards in new venture

The NHS will ask patients to turn their bedrooms into hospital wards to empty hospital beds and deal with waiting lists.

Cell phones and wearable devices will be provided that will allow doctors to remotely monitor vital signs in “virtual wards”.

As of March 2024, up to 25,000 people can be treated simultaneously under the ‘hospital at home’ programme, which means a significant increase in capacity.

And this may mean that patients are discharged from the hospital earlier or that hospitalization is unnecessary in the first place.

The initiative is part of the cabinet’s digital health and social care plan released today.

It outlines Ministers’ aspirations to rapidly expand the use of technology within the NHS with the aim of saving billions of pounds over the next decade.

Suggestions include expanding the use of remote monitoring, improving NHS enforcement, and implementing digital health and social records in hospitals and nursing homes.

The government will create 10,500 additional data and technology roles and increase training in these areas for new and existing staff.

The widespread use of “virtual wards” came after NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard admitted that too many beds had been cut. Nearly 25,000 staff beds have been lost since 2010/11, and the number of beds per capita has decreased compared to comparable countries.

Ms Pritchard said at this month’s NHS ConfedExpo conference: “We’re past the point where efficiency becomes virtually inefficient.” Bed shortages and delays in the discharge of clinically eligible patients have contributed to prolonged waiting times for routine surgery and the emergency room.

There are a record 6.5 million people on NHS waiting lists, and that number has increased in recent months due to disruptions caused by the pandemic.

Over the past year, more than 280,000 people have remotely monitored their conditions such as asthma at home and in nursing homes, saving hospital beds and doctors 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 hospitalizations. According to the plan, 500,000 more people can be supported in this way by March next year.

Until September 2024, patients will be able to make pre-evaluation checks at their home hospital.

As of March 2024, a maximum of 25,000 people can be treated at a time under the “home hospital” program, with a significant increase in capacity (ambulance stock).

With future versions of the NHS app, patients will be able to book and reschedule hospital appointments and communicate with their doctor’s office.

It will also provide greater access to medical records and be used for remote consultations. More than 28 million people have already downloaded it.

Sajid Javid, Minister for Health and Welfare, said: “We are embarking on a radical modernization program that will ensure the NHS is ready to meet the challenges of 2048, not 1948 when it was first established.

“This plan builds on our data strategy, which is revolutionizing digital health and care by enabling patients to manage hospital appointments from the NHS app and have more control over their home care, address issues faster and seek help first.

“More personalization and better connectivity to the system will benefit patients, free up doctors’ time and help us tackle the Covid backlog.”

Dr. Timothy Ferris, Director of Transformation at NHS England, said: “By leveraging the power of digital and data, we can improve both the way people access and deliver services.

“Today’s digital health and care plan outlines an ambitious vision for a future where the NHS puts more power and information at patients’ fingertips and staff have the tools they need to serve better and more collaboratively”.