Virtual Ward

We provide rapid support, often within 24 to 48 hours, to offer the care you need in the comfort of your own home.

Whether you’re recovering after a hospital stay or managing ongoing symptoms, we can help you stay at home, where you’re most comfortable. If you’re ready to leave the hospital, we can support early discharge and ensure you’re fully supported with the care you need.

And if your condition changes, we can quickly bring in extra support to ensure you have everything you need.

Our service is designed for the most unwell palliative patients and aims to provide urgent, personalised care right when you need it, helping you avoid unnecessary hospital admissions and stay in the place you feel safest.

1. Patient assessment

Your healthcare professional will assess whether you are suitable to receive care at home from the Virtual Ward team. If you and your carer consent to this, you would be referred to the service. Patients can be transferred to the Virtual Ward from other teams within the hospice, the GP or District Nursing team, from hospital wards or from the Accident and Emergency department.

2. Creating a care plan

Once you have been admitted onto the Virtual Ward you remain under the care of the team, who are based at the hospice in Chesterfield. A personalised care plan will be discussed with you, your carer and the team. This will help identify what matters to you to ensure that the support you receive is designed and coordinated around your desired outcomes.

3. Daily check-ins

You will be reviewed daily by the Virtual Ward team. This includes, specialist nurses, doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, support workers and supportive care during the hours of Monday to Friday 9am-5pm. The team will agree the type of contact (phone, video or face-to-face) with you. At weekends and out of hours, you will be supported over the phone.

4. Responsive treatment

The team will be automatically alerted by the technology if your readings worsen, or you are not responding to treatment as expected. Changes to your care plan will be made to manage these symptoms, or changes to your physical and practical needs to keep you within the place you call home. There may still be a need to attend a hospital for a specific test or procedure, but the team can support with this and when you return home.

5. Discharge or referral to other services

Following the completion of your care, you will be discharged from the Virtual Ward. You would then be transferred back to another team within the hospice for ongoing monitoring and support, and your GP and District Nursing team would be made aware of any changes and updates to your care.