Having home visits they gave me confidence and support . Without them I wouldn’t be where I am now. Thank you!
Virtual Ward Anonymous Patient
The Right Care, in the
Right Place
Our Virtual Ward service provides patients with safe, hospital-level care in the comfort of their own homes, offering an alternative to an inpatient hospital stay where clinically appropriate.
Working in partnership with North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, our multidisciplinary team delivers personalised treatment and ongoing monitoring, helping patients recover in familiar surroundings while reducing the risks associated with hospital admission.
This approach supports better patient outcomes, preserves independence and ensures hospital beds remain available for those who need them most.
Virtual Ward
The GPN Virtual Ward provides an alternative to acute hospital admission for patients attending the Emergency Department (ED) who would otherwise require a hospital bed. Patients are admitted to the Virtual Ward and receive comprehensive care outside a traditional hospital setting, allowing them to recover safely in their own homes while maintaining access to essential medical oversight.
The service operates 8:00 am – 8:00 pm, 365 days per year, and is delivered by a multidisciplinary team including GPs, Advanced Clinical Practitioners, Enhanced Practitioners, Nurses, Nursing Associates, Paramedics, Urgent Care Technicians, and Health Care Assistants.
Delivered in partnership with North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust (NWAngliaFT), the Virtual Ward includes daily ward rounds led by senior clinicians and multidisciplinary meetings to ensure collaborative decision-making, optimal treatment, and patient recovery. By avoiding hospital admission, the service reduces the risks associated with inpatient care, including healthcare-acquired infections, deconditioning, and disruption to existing care packages.
Patients eligible for the Virtual Ward are those assessed in ED or assessment units and deemed to require hospital admission. Instead of being admitted, GPN manages their care plan and treatment in the home environment until they are medically stable and ready to return to routine primary and community care. This approach ensures continuity of care, avoids unnecessary interruption to ongoing support packages, and simplifies the discharge process.
The service is overseen by a GP or Senior Advanced Clinical Practitioner, with the visiting team delivering ongoing clinical assessments, monitoring, and treatment to meet the individual needs of each patient.
By providing care in familiar home surroundings, the Virtual Ward supports faster recovery, maintains patients’ connections to family and social networks, alleviates pressures on primary care, and increases the availability of acute hospital beds for patients who cannot be treated at home.
The Virtual Ward operates:
- Monday to Sunday: 8:00 am – 8:00 pm, 365 days per year
Through this model, the GPN Virtual Ward delivers safe, patient-centred care that reduces unnecessary hospital stays, supports effective recovery, and integrates seamlessly with primary, community, and secondary care pathways.
How to access the Virtual Ward
Our Virtual Ward provides hospital-level care for eligible patients in their own homes, where it is clinically appropriate and safe to do so.
Patients are referred to the Virtual Ward by healthcare professionals following an assessment of their needs.
Patients cannot self-refer directly to the Virtual Ward.
If you are already receiving care from a healthcare professional, they will discuss your options with you and arrange a referral where appropriate.
