A Plympton woman has spoken about her experience of being a ’virtual patient’ – a new initiative at Derriford hospital aimed at improving the flow of people through the hospital and reducing waiting lists.
Susan Miller, 75, from Plympton, went on to be a virtual patient after spending 15 days as an inpatient for her heart condition. Going home with a package of care and virtual ward technology, meant her blood pressure could be monitored at home with regular contact from the Derriford team and oversight from her consultant.
Susan said:
“When you arrive at the hospital everyone is very professional as you would hope, but there is a queue of ambulances because the pressure on the emergency system is very high. I know I will be sent to the area that is most appropriate for me, but in the meantime, the reason that I am being held up for so long is because there’s a bottleneck at the other end.
“I hope that instead of there being 20 or 30 people waiting to have their blood pressure taken and their general health checked, this equipment would be available for them to go home and press a button and feel as confident as I do.”
In addition to developing capacity for up to 50 virtual patients monitored in their own homes, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP) has also opened new physical beds to help relieve the pressure on its busy Emergency Department.
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Rachel O’Connor, director of Integrated Care, Partnerships and Strategy at UHP, said:
“As part of our winter plans, we are working very hard to get patients to the right place at the right time. More beds and more capacity to support people going home with care support creates additional flow through the hospital, relieving pressure on the Emergency Department.
“In addition, we’re working together across Health and Social Care to create capacity, and to make sure that people are only in hospital when they need to be.”
As well as the ‘virtual beds’ for up to 50 patients, further additional beds provided by University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust include 12 beds added to Mount Gould’s 52 bedded unit in addition to the 15 beds for stroke rehabilitation at Mount Gould and 24 beds at the new Batham Orthopaedic Ward.
In addition the Chestnut Urology Investigation Unit is seeing 500 patients a week and Virtual Wards have been created for 50 patients.
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The new purpose built three floor REI (formerly known as the Royal Eye Infirmary) off the Derriford site and behind The Range delivers enhanced ophthalmic care, bringing together outpatient and surgical eye treatments as well as an expanded service for children. This new site for the REI has created additional space and bed capacity on the main site.
Future developments include a new Urgent Treatment Centre, Fracture Clinic and Urgent Emergency Care Facility on the main Derriford Hospital site.
(Story courtesy of the Plympton Podcast)
