How to access the service
We want to make sure you get the best possible care, and sometimes that means providing support for you at home rather than in the hospital. Our Virtual Ward offers a safe and effective way to do this, giving you high-quality care and a positive experience.
Who Can Use the Virtual Ward?
The Virtual Ward is available for patients of all ages who are:
- Registered with a GP in Wolverhampton or South Staffordshire.
- Medically stable but still need ongoing acute care. This means you’re not acutely unwell and needing to be in hospital, but you still need regular monitoring and support that you might otherwise get in a hospital bed.
We work closely with hospital specialists across a wide range of conditions to ensure you receive expert care tailored to your needs. This includes support for conditions such as:
- Acute Medicine
- Diabetes
- Frailty
- Heart Failure
- Intravenous (IV) Antibiotics
- Palliative Care
- Renal conditions
- Respiratory conditions
- Oncology (cancer care)
- And specific pathways for Discharge to Scan and Paediatrics.
How to Access the Virtual Ward
For Adults:
Your doctor or another healthcare professional can refer you to our Virtual Ward. We accept referrals 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and can admit patients up to 10pm every night.
Once a referral is made:
- We’ll review it within four hours and let your referrer know the outcome.
- We aim to get you onto the Virtual Ward on the same day as your referral or by lunchtime the next day.
- A member of our team will visit you at home within 24 hours of your referral to set up your personalised care plan and provide any monitoring equipment, like blood pressure machines.
- If you have a learning disability, we can support you on the Virtual Ward for at least 72 hours after discharge from hospital to ensure you’re settling in well.
For Children (Paediatric Virtual Ward):
We understand that children need quick and tailored support. Our Paediatric Virtual Ward also takes referrals 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and we can admit children up to 7pm every night.
- Referrals are triaged immediately, and children are usually accepted on the same day.
- Your child’s treatment plan will be individualised, with visits planned around their specific needs.
- If your child is referred from a walk-in centre or by their GP, we aim to see them at home within 2 to 4 hours.
Our goal is to make sure you or your loved one receives high-quality care in the most comfortable and appropriate setting. If you think the Virtual Ward might be right for you, please speak to your GP or healthcare professional.
