Launch of UK’s 1st Private Virtual Hospital – Is This What Hospital Could Now Look Like?

On 7th November, whilst the tectonic political plates were shifting, here and in the USA, another event of national significance was happening – launch of the UK’s first national urgent acute medical service, by pioneering digital health company Virtue. We’re pleased to provide a sneak preview of their launch, which will be covered by national press in January, explaining what this means for your patients, together with your businesses, both of which stand to benefit by this transformational service that brings together acute and social care in a novel way.

For the first time in the history, the people of Great Britain can access urgent acute medical treatment, nationally, by an organisation other than the NHS. Not only this, but care can be received instantly, in the comfort and convenience of home, simply by calling Virtue. This offers patients an alternative to attending NHS A&E or suffering the impact of a hospital admission.
This appears a momentous step change in the evolution of our national healthcare infrastructure, which could be a vital component in ensuring members of the public, can access acute care quickly, in spite of the rising pressures on the NHS system.

For just £14.99 per month, anyone over the age of 18 can become a Virtue Member. Virtue Members receive a Welcome Pack which includes a range of smart medical devices that enable Virtue’s remote team of nurses and consultant specialists, to respond to an urgent medical need immediately. Their clinical team then monitor the patient, prescribe medication and even provide online physiotherapy to support holistic and faster recovery. Where needed, Virtue also provide IV antibiotics in the home. Virtue call it ‘Acute Hospital-at-Home’, also coined ‘virtual ward’.

Before you think it’s too good to be true, Virtue do also charge a fee of £125 per night for treatment, which given the average ‘length of stay’ of 7 nights, can add up to £875. So overall, it’s not cheap. So, is it worth it?

We asked Dr Andrew Barlow, Chief Medical Officer of Virtue, his view and justification for the cost. Dr Barlow, who is recognised by NHS England as founder of the first NHS Covid virtual ward explains, “a hospital admission is a catastrophic life event, especially for someone over the age of 70. Patients are suffering from a serious, often life-threatening medical situation, which is made more traumatic by separation from their family, familiar environment and care team. Patients are at risk of acquiring infections, which during the pandemic caused one third of covid cases.

Perhaps worse of all, is the ‘hospital-acquired degeneration’, which research shows to leave patients with an average 50% loss of functional ability. Patients leave hospital a shadow of their former self, and at that age, they just don’t recover. This often means patients are discharged into a care home, meaning they leave their domiciliary care provider and are forced to sell their family home”.

So is it worth it? We think so. In fact, we think this is revolutionary.

Not only is this a game changer for the patient, but Virtue CEO and Founder Robert Orford believes it will play a key role in fixing the fundamental historic divide between the acute and social care sectors.

Robert explains, “we offer a partnership programme to domiciliary care and nursing homes providers, meaning they benefit financially from the delivery of our treatment, at a rate of £40 per hour. This enables our partners to pay their staff more, recruit and retain talent and fundamentally change the profitability of their business”. Interested social care providers can apply to be a partner at www.virtuehealth.co.uk.