Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 November 2023
25. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health his plans to expand the virtual home hospital services within the HSE for early supported discharge in order to reduce strain on the hospital service during the winter surge; if he will provide an update on existing pilot programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48608/23]
View answerThe Virtual Ward is a flexible and integrated model of care provision, clinically led through a blend of medical and advanced nurse practice governance. The care is enabled by remote monitoring technology, clear patient care pathways and robust escalation protocols.
Following successful proof of concept tests in Beaumont Hospital and CHO Dublin North City and County, and more recently in Letterkenny, the virtual ward is expanding in a number of sites. The test sites demonstrated the capability of a virtual ward in supporting the delivery of Sláintecare and effective utilisation of the Advanced Practice and Enhanced Nurse roles.
The current status on virtual ward service include:
• Letterkenny Community Virtual Ward is currently in operation with 26 virtual beds targeted specifically on reducing/eliminating admissions for a cohort of patients with significant history of high admission rates.
• Furthermore, an operational model has been identified for expansion of the virtual ward model in the Acute Hospital Group. The virtual wards support hospital avoidance and early discharge delivering care in the patient’ home or residential care setting.
The National Steering Group overseeing implementation has been established. The procurement process in underway for the technology platform to support the virtual ward and ensure clinical data safety and governance. Two 25 bedded virtual wards will commence by end of year 2023 and a further Hospital Group will commence in early 2024. The decisions on the other 2 Hospital Groups will be made very shortly.
I am confident that these virtual wards will deliver more hospital care at home and thereby make a significant contribution towards reducing strain on the hospital services during the winter period and beyond.
