News stories

Alison is one of the first patients to benefit from a new service being trialled for patients who have been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The new virtual ward service helps patients to leave hospital sooner, to continue their recovery in the comfort of their own homes, by using technology that enables clinical teams to monitor patients’ condition when they are at home. COPD is a long-term condition that causes breathing difficulties and patients can often have frequent stays in hospital to manage their condition, which can leave them feeling isolated from their families.

The virtual ward is a joint service between University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB), Big Picture Medical and Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BCHC). It builds on an existing UHB and BCHC service for early supported discharge, by equipping patients and community teams with a digital solution to track symptoms remotely.

Patients like Alison are shown how to use an app and how to use a pulse oximeter whilst an inpatient at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB). They then go home, where they regularly input readings from an oximeter into the app. Community teams from BCHC then remotely monitor the information and are in regular contact with the patient. If a patient’s oxygen saturations, or symptoms, show a significant change they will have a telephone consultation or home visit, or they could be readmitted to hospital if necessary.

When Alison was admitted to hospital in November with breathing problems, she thought she might be in for a lengthy stay, but the new virtual ward meant she could go home. Alison said: “Being able to leave hospital before Christmas was fantastic. The biggest benefit to me was being able to come home and to see my granddaughters. I found using the app really easy and I felt safe, because I knew that the clinical teams were never far away if I needed them. I would recommend the service to others, I think it’s a great idea if it helps people to leave hospital safely and get back to their families.”

Rachael Colclough, Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist, Respiratory Support Team said: “Offering patients with a long-term respiratory condition, such as COPD, the option of enhanced support when they leave hospital is fantastic.  It demonstrates huge progress we have made over the past few years to improve the quality and choice of care we can offer patients. We have worked hard with our community colleagues to be able to provide this increased support. Often patients take time to recover from their flare ups and knowing they have support to help them to stabilise within the comfort of their own home is a really positive step to improving the quality of their care. The gap between hospital and home can feel massive and having a responsive system like this technology with Big Picture is amazing.”

Jonathan Whittaker, Delivery Lead, Digital Transformation said: “Using digital technology in healthcare delivery is part of our Trust’s strategic aims, so we are really excited by the COPD virtual ward. I’m so glad Alison and other patients are having a positive experience with the new service. They are helping to shape what the future of healthcare will look like, so more patients can safely manage their conditions at home, improving their outcomes and experience.”

The service is currently available for suitable patients who live in south Birmingham.