Walsall’s children and young people will be able to receive care from the comfort of their own homes thanks to new technology.

Walsall Manor Paediatric Service has introduced a ‘Paediatric Virtual Ward’ to the Trust’s children’s ward this month.

Virtual wards allow patients to get the care they need at home, safely and conveniently, rather than being in hospital and to support early discharge.

Support includes remote monitoring using app technology and medical devices such as pulse oximeter. Support will involve face-to-face care from multi-disciplinary teams based in the community.

Care group manager Suzanne Priest who is overseeing this launch said:

“I can’t tell you how excited we are to finally be able to implement this into the paediatric service. It has taken time however, we are very proud that we have started our Paediatric Virtual Ward with the first patient being discharged home on Tuesday 2 August.

“This modern technology is great as we can send children and young people home instead of keeping them on a ward whilst parents have the reassurance and support in monitoring them at home.

“Their family or carers record the child’s vitals such as their temperature or blood pressure from the comfort of their own home. By uploading this information into the app, the Paediatric Virtual Ward community nursing team can review and provide support ensuring patient safety.

“Parents are able to contact the team for any questions or advice with out of hours support via the Paediatric Assessment Unit.”

She added: “It’s great to be able to use the new technologies to redesign and improve our services for the benefit of patients.

“We have seen the success of virtual wards over at Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust and we are hoping to see the same success here at Walsall.

“It really benefits everyone as treating patients at home enables earlier supported discharge and the management of admissions.”