DHU Healthcare’s Community Virtual Ward has been helping patients in Derbyshire who need urgent care, but don’t need a hospital admission, to stay at home.
Caring for hundreds of patients each month, the innovative team has received praise from health partners and patients, including Sue from Chesterfield whose father was referred to the team through DHU’s 111 service. Here’s what Sue told us…
“It was the Easter Bank Holiday weekend and my dad became ill, I was on holiday in the Isle of Wight and Dad, who’s 90 years old, was at home on his own with no way of accessing a medical centre due to mobility problems. He knew from past experience that it was a UTI, so I rang 111 to explain his symptoms, and the fact he was alone with no other family support nearby. After a call back to ascertain further details, a clinician was sent to Dad’s home; they spent a long time assessing him and after verifying he was in fact suffering a UTI, they also provided him with antibiotics.
“Amazed”
“After being visited by the clinician I was told that, with my permission, Dad was under the care of the Virtual Ward team which, when I found out more about what they do, I was only too happy to give. I didn’t know what the team was, and I was amazed that all of this had been set up without me having to ask for it.
“The next thing we knew, he had been given an iPad for the team to help monitor his condition. He didn’t know how to use it, so instead he received daily phone calls to talk him through taking his blood pressure, using an oxidiser, everything they needed to ensure the treatments were working and how they were affecting his health. There was also a number for me or my dad to ring if we needed to contact them.
“It was only later on that I found out that the reason he was referred to the virtual ward team was because Dad told 111 that he didn’t want to go to hospital. They knew his wishes, respected them and came up with a way that his condition could be diagnosed, treated and managed without him leaving home. I was in regular contact with them and was able to continue my holiday with the knowledge that my dad was being looked after.
“Tailor made for him”
“When I got back, he hadn’t recovered but I was reassured that he was comfortable and being monitored. They’d gone beyond treating the condition; he’d had his Covid vaccination, his GP was informed and a urine sample was taken, ensuring that the antibiotics he got were tailor made for him. He’s also now on a pathway after a referral to a continence clinic, which we believe may be behind the UTIs he keeps getting.
“I can’t tell you what a difference their care made to me, being away over a Bank Holiday weekend, that my dad was so well looked after in his own home, that his wishes were respected and we were both informed every step of the way. Every detail was discussed with us in a way we could understand, and real thought given to treating the condition, not just the symptoms.
“I’d never heard of the Community Virtual Ward before, but they were exactly the support we needed. Thank you to all of them for keeping my dad well and ensuring he was able to stay at home.”