A letter titled 'For action – accelerating the numbers of people discharged home' from Sir David Sloman, Michelle Dyson and Sarah-Jane Marsh on 22nd December outlined "specific actions" needed "to reduce the number of people who are delayed from leaving acute hospitals".
The letter urged more use of virtual wards, in which hospital patients are cared for at home and monitored remotely.
The letter stated "NHS systems should plan (by the end of December) to provide COVID Virtual Wards that are of equivalent in size to a minimum of 15% of people who are COVID+ as inpatients to enable all eligible patients to benefit."
Highlighting that: “Virtual wards can provide a safe, convenient and more efficient alternative to hospital care, including using staff who may be isolating but able to work remotely."
Find out more about how to treat patients virtually by reading our whitepaper on Redesigning Patient Care with Virtual Consultations.