A PILOT scheme that was trialled in Basingstoke was singled out for praise at the Annual General Meeting of the Hampshire Primary Care Trust.

Virtual Ward Basingstoke allows patients to get regular treatment and check-ups in their homes and be closely monitored by medical staff without having to visit a hospital.

Day-to-day care is provided by community matrons, in conjunction with community nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and community pharmacists, social workers and mental health link workers.

A ward administrator is the contact point for all patients and staff. The ward team holds a teleconference “ward round” every day, with the five most vulnerable patients being discussed every day, those 35 with fewer needs discussed weekly, and the remaining 60 discussed monthly.

The idea is that the community matron can move patients between these differing intensity “beds” according to changes in their condition.

Every night, an email listing all virtual ward patients is sent to local hospitals, NHS Direct and out-of-hours GP services. Should a virtual ward patient present to these organisations, staff can contact the ward administrator for details of the patient’s care.

And when the patient has been cared for uneventfully for several months in the virtual ward, the combined model will prompt them to consider discharging the patient back to the care of their GP practice.

Katrina Percy, chief executive of Hampshire Community Health Care, praised the scheme at the AGM which was held at Winchester Guildhall. Due to its success in Basingstoke, it is now being rolled out across Hampshire.

She said: “There have been a lot of positives that we have seen from the introduction of virtual wards. Not only can we use this scheme to save us money but we are also providing a service that patients both need and want.

“We’ve heard that patients find the idea of the Virtual Ward very reassuring. It significantly reduces the need to admit people into hospital and also reduces anxiety levels for people.

“People have had nothing but positive things to say about the scheme, which we piloted in Basingstoke.”