Approved work: Virtual wards

Virtual wards aim to provide hospital-level care at home with remote support from healthcare professionals. This can include medical consultations through digital tools like video calls, and data collected through apps, wearables and other medical devices enabling clinical staff to monitor recovery and deliver treatment.

This POSTnote will outline recent advancements in virtual wards, summarising evidence for their potential to improve healthcare accessibility and efficiency in the NHS. The briefing will also consider challenges, including data security, equity of access, staff training and integrating these technologies into existing healthcare systems.

We welcome information on issues relevant to the project. To contribute to this research, please follow our guidance for contributors.