Patients will be provided with equipment and demonstrations on how to use the digital project, the HSE said. Photograph: Jeff Moore/PA Wire
Under the system, the clinical team will work with patients, and their families or carers to assess whether they might be suitable to be treated through the virtual ward service. Patients will be provided with equipment and demonstrations on how to use it. While at home, the HSE said the patient’s care would continue to be reviewed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If a patient’s condition worsens, or if they are not responding to the treatment as expected, the virtual ward team will be automatically alerted by the monitoring technology.According to the HSE, the new system “offers a safe and efficient alternative to hospital stays, supporting patients who prefer to receive expert hospital care, monitoring and treatment in their own home”.