Virtual Ward

We are supporting patients within Cambridge and Peterborough (with the option of potentially supporting patients in South Lincolnshire as well, staffing permitting). On this Virtual Ward we have been funded for 30 beds. 

Patients will be identified for this Virtual Ward from all clinical areas. Upon acceptance onto the Virtual Ward, we will provide patients with the Digital Technology they require to take home, patients must also consent to being admitted onto the Virtual Ward and will need to be able to use the equipment provided (family/carers can support if they are able to). The discharging consultant will advise the Virtual Ward team how many times a day the patient requires their observations and the parameters that we should follow, we are able to go to the patients home to repeat bloods if required.

We have daily contact with all patients that are admitted onto the Virtual Ward. We cover a 7 day service 07:00-19:30.

Our main focus is to reduce patients' length of stay with Digital Technology.

Referrals can be sent via ICE and the referrals are checked regularly throughout the day.  We have an office number EXT 7961/1597/1596 or an email: nwangliaft.virtualwardteam@nhs.net.

Our General Medicine Virtual Ward has been created, in partnership with the Greater Peterborough Network, to provide safe and optimal care to adults, who may require urgent or emergency care needs due to intercurrent illness, a frailty syndrome or an exacerbation in an underlying pre-existing long-term condition.

The Virtual Ward is available to patients who have been assessed by our clinicians, and whose management and care is best supported in the community with added social care support and/or clinical input. The service operates as an alternative to admission to a traditional inpatient setting.

The service is overseen on a daily basis by a GP or consultant ACP. Patients receive visits from Advanced Clinical Practitioners, Urgent Care Practitioners, Paramedics and other members of the healthcare team. The team are able to review patients on a daily basis in person, or more frequently if required. This can included advanced level assessments, bloods, ECG, bladder scans, dressings, community prescriptions and access to hospital diagnostics including XRay, CTs and referrals to other pathways as required. In addition the team can also remotely monitor patients observations.

Patients must be: 

• Diagnosed with a condition that can be managed within the community setting.
• Aged 18 and above
• Patient requiring short term (1-14 days) stay on the Virtual Ward
• Living within Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

When admitted onto the Virtual Ward, patients will be provided with a full explanation of what to expect, and how they will be cared for (alongside any ongoing care requirements).

The General Medicine Virtual Ward team support patients 7 days a week, 08:00 - 20:00. 

The team can be contacted on PCH ext 1599 and externally on 0333 332 6800 option 5.

Our Frailty Virtual Ward was the first Virtual Ward to be launched at the Trust, in December 2022. The ward has been created, in partnership with the Greater Peterborough Network, to provide safe and optimal care to adults with frailty, who may be presenting to our front door with urgent or emergency care needs due to intercurrent illness and /or presenting with a frailty syndrome and/ or to manage an exacerbation in an underlying pre-existing long-term condition.

The Virtual Ward is available to patients who have been assessed by our clinicians, and whose management and care is best supported in the community with added social care support and/or clinical input. The service operates as an alternative to admission to a traditional inpatient setting.

The service is overseen on a daily basis by a GP or consultant ACP. Patients receive visits from Advanced Clinical Practitioners, Urgent Care Practitioners, Paramedics and other members of the healthcare team. The team are able to review patients on a daily basis in person, or more frequently if required. This can included advanced level assessments, bloods, ECG, bladder scans, dressings, community prescriptions and access to hospital diagnostics including XRay, CTs and referrals to other pathways as required. In addition the team can also remotely monitor patients observations. 

Patients must be: 

• Diagnosed with a condition that can be managed within the community setting. 
• Aged 65 and above
• Patient requiring short term (1-14 days) stay on the Virtual Ward.

When admitted onto the Virtual Ward, patients will be provided with a full explanation of what to expect, and how they will be cared for (alongside any ongoing care requirements). 

The Frailty Virtual Ward team support patients 7 days a week, 08:00 - 20:00. 

The team can be contacted on PCH ext 1599 and externally on 0333 332 6800 option 5.

The  IV at Home service is operated by GPN in partnership with NWAngliaFT. The service provides an IV administration service to patients in their own homes / place of residence. The team visit patients daily either to administer a single IV bolus or to establish a 24hr infusion using the accufuser device. As part of the visit the nursing/paramedic team will also complete an assessment of the patient including observations and will take bloods according to the schedule set down by the hospital medical team at discharge. All patients cared for by the service are discussed at the twice MDT led by Dr Frieder Kleeman. 

Patient inclusion criteria:

• Medically stable and fit to remain in the community setting, as assessed by referring consultant
• Safe and appropriate IV access
• Registered with a Cambridge and Peterborough ICS-commissioned GP (residing NWAngliaFT catchment)
• Age 16 years and above
• Definitive diagnosis known
• Decreasing infection markers such as CRP and WCC, with a stable blood profile within normal limits for patient
• Must have prescription written by referring consultant as 24-hour dose or a bolus dose
• Patient consents to continuing their acute care at home
• Home environment must be suitable for lone working and IV administration, including access to a telephone/text relay/BSL relay service.

Exclusion criteria:

Any one item will exclude the patient unless there are clear agreed variances in place, or a clear medical escalation plan

• History of allergy to the agent being administered or related agent
• Neutropenic, unless stable with management plan
• Sepsis flags: 1 or more of the following:
• temperature > 38.2oC or <35.4oC
• systolic BP < 90mmHg
• HR > 100 bpm
• RR >25 per minute
• SpO2 < 92%
• New altered mental state
• IV drug or alcohol misuser
• Patient does not consent to receiving acute care at home.
• Antibiotic which cannot be given via an Acufuser or given as a once daily infusion

Referrals to the service are made via ICE referral to 'OPAT at Home'. 

Patients are required to have either a peripheral cannula, midline or PICC line inserted prior to acceptance by the service. The type of line depends on the duration of treatment and antimicrobial being given, if the referring team is unsure please refer to the OPAT medicines formulary or seek advice from pharmacy. 

Patients referred to the service must be discharged with the virtual ward drugs chart detailing the medicine to be administer and dilutent (the chart is included here for convenience) and the IV medication that will be administered by the service should be sent home by the ward with the patient as a TTO.

To confirm your referral the IV at home team will contact the ward to complete a short checklist to ensure the patient is suitable for the service and all arrangements have been made. 

On the team's first visit to the patient they will provide further information about the service verbally and in the form of a patient information leaflet (the leaflet is included here for reference). 

The team can be contacted on PCH ext 1599 and externally on 0333 332 6800 option 8.