Tens of thousands of children will be able to receive hospital-level care at home thanks to an expansion of virtual wards, chief executive Amanda Pritchard will announce on the 75th anniversary of the NHS.
The hospital at home service – already the largest of its kind in the world – will expand to cover children in every region of England from this month after successfully treating more than 6,400 children over the last year.
NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said the world-leading NHS virtual wards programme has “provided peace of mind” to parents who have used them during trials, including in Blackpool, Dudley and Dorset.
The services will treat a range of conditions like respiratory illness, such as asthma, and heart conditions, allowing kids to get the care they need from the comfort of their homes.
Virtual wards allow patients to get hospital-level care at home safely and in familiar surroundings, helping speed up their recovery while freeing up hospital beds for patients that need them most and reducing the burden of travel for families.
It comes as more than 160,000 adult patients have been successfully treated on virtual wards including hospital-at-home services since April last year.
As it marks 75 years since its foundation today, the NHS continues to show it is a world-leader when it comes to cutting-edge innovation and using the latest technology to treat patients.
The rollout to children and young people will come as part of the NHS plan to create an extra 10,000 virtual ward beds by winter, meaning more patients can be treated safely from home, also relieving pressure on hospital beds.
In 1948, healthcare in England was revolutionised with the introduction of the National Health Service, free at the point of delivery, and with district nurses and midwives going from door to door to provide care in their heart of their communities and their patients’ homes.
Today, the NHS is in the midst of another revolution, embracing advances in technology and innovation with virtual wards, providing around the clock, quality care to patients in their own homes, where patients would rather be.
NHS Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard said: “As the NHS celebrates its 75th anniversary today, it is amazing to see how services have changed since our foundation. Virtual wards are already providing excellent care to families when their children are sick, and this expansion will enable thousands more to receive high quality care from home.
“Being treated at home can have a hugely positive impact on patients – it means they receive hospital-level care, but it also means they are not separated from their families – providing peace of mind for loved ones.
“As we look to the next 75 years of the NHS, we will continue to embrace the latest technologies and innovations to meet the changing needs of patients while ensuring that care is as convenient as possible.”
