Agenda item

Report of the Chief Executive Officer, UHCW

The Board considered a verbal presentation of the Chief Executive Officer, UHCW regarding Virtual Beds.

UHCW representatives advised that Virtual Beds rollout was part of an overall new strategy launched in 2022 which worked in partnership with other health and care organisations to improve outcomes for patients as close to their homes as possible and this was now provided through the Improving Lives programme.

Post Covid-19, a significant shift had been seen towards providing hospital care in the home environment which had been helped by digital advances to monitor patients.  In 2023-2024, a bed base of 40 virtual beds was set up with hospital level care at home, led by consultants with an integrated model community team.  Care for patients with conditions such as frailty, heart failure, short term antibiotic therapy and acute oxygen therapy, and other conditions, could be provided through the virtual bed programme.  The ambition was to grow the number of virtual beds to 90 in the coming year.

The Cabinet Member for Public Health, Sport and Wellbeing, welcomed the Virtual Bed programme, despite the constant challenges being faced by the medical teams and stressing the challenge in treatment for the disadvantaged communities in the city.

Members of the Scrutiny Board, having considered the verbal report asked questions and received information from officers on the following matters:

• There was a challenge around ensuring the provision of equality to access of care however, a clear process was in place to admit patients under the virtual bed model back into hospital if necessary.
• It was important to ensure the virtual bed model was not ageist and did not disadvantage those without technology.  The virtual bed team continued to challenge themselves to provide the best care for patients in the best place, taking into account inequalities.
• Language barriers were overcome by access to 24/7 interpretation services.
• The One Coventry integrated team were able to provide wrap around care as patients medically improved, to be able to step down to independent living.
• The Paybody unit in the city centre was helping to improve equality of access to health care.  It provided MRI and CT scans, x-rays and ultrasounds.  UHCW were in advanced discussions with Coventry University to provide local clinics.
• NHSE had set ambitious targets for virtual beds based on high level modelling away from the population.  However, patients needed to be cared for safely in their own homes and the team had built a base of virtual areas that could be cared for safety and clinically effectively, in the patients’ own home with technology in place that could spot deterioration.
• Virtual ward beds were currently at 80% occupancy which was average. UHCW beds were well over 90% occupancy.
• Virtual wards had contributed to patient wait time reductions.  As confidence grew in the virtual ward model of care, it would be broadened out to include further conditions.
• Elderly patients were found to decommission quickly in hospital, and were the group that potentially could benefit most from virtual wards.
• The Improving Lives programme worked well for the residents of the city and a model of best practice was seen with the virtual wards, with other local authorities making contact.  The key difference was in Coventry, Social Care was involved in the model.

The Cabinet Member for Public Health, Wellbeing and Sport reiterated the importance of communication with the harder to reach communities.

The Chair, Councillor C Miks, welcomed the services UHCW provide suggesting the provision of further information would be made available through the Board as the service moved forward.

RESOLVED that the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Board (5) notes the contents of the briefing note and provides continued support for virtual ward expansion as part of the One Coventry Integrated Team.