Information for healthcare professionals (Virtual ward)
What is the Frailty Hospital at Home (Virtual Ward)?
Since January 2023, the dedicated clinical teams in CCA Care Group’s Integrated Geriatric and Stroke Medicine and Integrated Community Care directorates have collaborated to create a ground breaking model of clinical care.
Our primary goal is to prevent avoidable hospital admissions and facilitate earlier discharges before a patient is medically fit for discharge, ensuring patients receive the acute care they need in the comfort of their own homes. This approach not only provides hands on support in the home for acute needs including interventions and care planning, but also provides a seamless and supportive alternative to traditional hospital stay.
Criteria
- Registered with a Sheffield GP
- Aged 65+ Patients needs can be managed safely at home e.g NEWS2 less than 5
- Patients identified as moderately or severely frail
- Patients with an intercurrent illness or exacerbation of an underlying long-term condition that would otherwise require hospital admission
- Patient must consent to the virtual ward
Patients can:
- Can recover in their own home
- Are less likely to experience the effects of deconditioning
- Are more likely to have a shorter length of stay
- Can maintain their independence
- Will have easy access to support and advice through the Frailty virtual ward MDT
- Will remain under the care of the Consultant
How to refer
If you are a community healthcare professional ring SPA on the Health Care Professional line: 0114 2266 566
- If you think the patient is suitable for community management SPA will assess suitability of referral to the community ACP service or other alternative community pathway
- If the think the patient requires hospital admission or rapid diagnostics (SDEC) SPA will assess suitability of referral to the Sheffield Frailty Unit or other alternative hospital pathway
- SPA will arrange a conference call with either a community ACP or consultant at the Sheffield Frailty Unit who will advise if they can accept the referral
This service is available at the following Hospitals:
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