Public open to virtual care, but lack of understanding a barrier to progress, new research warns

Public open to virtual care, but lack of understanding a barrier to progress, new research warns ‘Virtual wards’ – which allow patients to get hospital-level care at home, while still being in regular contact with health professionals – are a key element of NHS England’s plan for tackling the backlog of care. They can be used instead of admitting people to hospital or to enable patients to be discharged sooner, and in some cases are supported by technologies that help people monitor their health at home.

But new analysis suggests that while the UK public is on balance supportive of virtual wards, a lack of understanding of the term may be holding back public support for them. The Health Foundation