NHS England has claimed to have hit its target of making 10,000 virtual ward beds available in the health service.
It said the figure was reached by the end of September, reaching a total of 10,421, and that more than 240,000 patients have now been treated on virtual wards.
This marks a significant step in its ambition to deliver 24,000 virtual beds by the end of next year.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said: “Our world leading virtual ward programme is a huge leap forward in the way the NHS treats patients enabling them to receive hospital-level care in their own home.
“The NHS is embracing the latest technology, with regular check-ins from local clinicians in daily ‘ward rounds’ while freeing up hospital beds for those that need them most – it is testament to the hard work and dedication of NHS staff across the country that we have delivered on our target and rolled out more than 10,000 virtual ward beds by the end of September.”
Virtual wards use remote monitoring technology to enable patients to obtain hospital level care from clinicians in their homes.
