London, 8 October 2024: Leading virtual care company Feebris is proud to announce the launch of the first children’s virtual ward in Norfolk & Waveney, supporting the delivery of hospital-level paediatric care at home.  

A significant milestone in advancing virtual care services in the region, the launch is part of one of the largest integrated virtual ward programmes in the UK, powered by the Feebris virtual care technology. The initiative spans four trusts across the Norfolk & Waveney Integrated Care Board and is onboarding approximately 500 patients each month and still growing. Additionally, Feebris is also transforming healthcare in local care homes and GP practices by enabling early detection of patient deterioration and connecting the dots between care homes and the virtual ward programme.

Tech-enabled virtual wards combine the use of virtual care technology with face-to-face care provision to ensure patients can be cared for in the comfort of their own homes, including care homes, while still receiving the same standard of care, including diagnostics and treatment. These models offer an alternative to hospital admission or facilitate early, safe discharge, creating much-needed capacity within the NHS.

Paediatric virtual wards provide substantial benefits for children and their families by allowing them to receive care in a familiar environment, which can help speed up recovery. A growing body of evidence shows that virtual care models can improve health outcomes and effectively shift acute care into the community (NHS England, 2024).  

Dr Yanny Delgado, Consultant Paediatrician at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Clinical Lead for the paediatric virtual ward, explains:  

“The paediatric virtual ward is the first service in the region designed under the principles of equitable access to specialist care for acutely unwell babies, children, and young people, which empowers parents or carers to take physical observations using a remote digital monitoring kit at home and, together with their remote clinicians and the educational package provided, collectively evaluate the progression of their child's recovery.

“The PVW process is supported and guided by robust pathways and guidelines that identify suitable candidates, optimising digital patient safety and aiming to provide safe care at home for children who, in other circumstances, would be admitted to the hospital.

“This innovative service is clinically delivered by experienced and knowledgeable paediatric Advanced Clinical Practitioners (ACPs), who review the digital dashboard and regularly contact families for welfare and progress updates, supporting their ongoing care plans until the child is well enough to be discharged.

“The PVW was created under the NHS constitution principles of Patient Choice and High Quality of Care, which children and young people are also entitled to, and it has become a highly praised service among parents.”

Dr Elina Naydenova, CEO and Cofounder of Feebris, added in a statement:

“Feebris was founded on the belief that out-of-hospital care needs transformation to meet the growing and changing needs of our populations, and we are excited to take another significant step in making this vision a reality with the launch of the paediatric virtual ward in Norfolk.

“By partnering closely with the ICB and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, we are providing children and their families the comfort and security of receiving high-quality care at home, playing a crucial role in enabling faster recovery and supporting their overall wellbeing. We are excited at the prospect of what we can achieve through our partnership with the QEH team, continuing to scale the service to reach even more patients.”

The Feebris virtual care technology is deployed in over 150 sites across the UK, spanning care homes, primary care facilities, community nursing and virtual wards. The technology has been independently validated to enable a 38% reduction in conveyances to A&E and 25% reduction in hospital admissions, with £500,000 saved for every 1,000 patients over 12 months (York Health Economics Consortium, 2023).  

ENDS

About Feebris

At Feebris, our mission is to create a world where nobody suffers because they cannot access healthcare. The Feebris virtual care platform powers the continuum of care by supporting patients throughout proactive health and episodes of higher acuity, helping health and care teams collaborate on delivering person-centred care close to home. Deployed across more than 150 NHS and social care sites, the solution connects care homes, GP practices, community nursing services and acute care at home. This includes the biggest integrated virtual ward programme in England, covering four different trusts across the Norfolk and Waveney region in both step-up and step-down models, while also supporting care homes and GP practices in the region.