A virtual ward pilot supporting older adults with complex mental health needs, including dementia, is showing positive early results in East Sussex.
The scheme, launched initially in East Sussex, allows patients to remain at home or in their care home while receiving specialist mental and physical healthcare from multidisciplinary teams from Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust.
The model builds on the success of virtual wards already used for physical health conditions and combines remote monitoring with community-based in-person care.
Health leaders say hospital admissions can be particularly distressing and confusing for older adults and people living with dementia, who often face longer stays in hospital and delays in discharge while ongoing support is arranged.
The pilot aims to reduce those admissions by managing mental health crises earlier and supporting recovery in familiar surroundings.
It also forms part of a wider transformation programme across Sussex focused on helping older people remain safely at home wherever possible. Investment has also been made into Intensive Support Practitioner teams, which provide rapid support to people who may otherwise require hospital admission.
Dr Laura Brummer, Clinical Director for the East Sussex Division, said: "By investing more in community services for older adults and people living with dementia, this gives us more options for how we deliver high quality care, and for this to be led by a person's needs and wishes.
"The virtual ward model allows us to provide physical and mental health hospital-level oversight whilst enabling patients to remain safely at home wherever possible."
Dr Fraser MacNicoll, Consultant Psychiatrist and clinical lead for the pilot, said the approach helps patients remain in “the comfort and familiarity of their own surroundings”.
Meanwhile, Joanna Byers, Head of Nursing for Rapid Response and Virtual Wards at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, said: "Early indications show this model is helping to prevent hospital admissions for older people and delivering a positive experience for patients through a truly integrated pathway."
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