On Wednesday 19th November 2025, Akeso hosted a Roundtable with Virtual Ward operational, clinical, system and supplier leaders to reflect on where we currently are with Virtual Wards, what some of the key challenges are and how we move forward to scale the model of Virtual Wards in the context of the 10 Year Plan.
Evolving the Virtual Ward Model
One of the key consensuses in the room was that it is time to move away from the initial ‘rules’ and definition of Virtual Wards, and consider broader Virtual Care models – has the term “Virtual” ahead of “Ward” contributed to siloed thinking, treating Virtual Wards as part of the acute paradigm? Virtual Wards had initially been presented as a solution to support acute hospital flow by speeding up discharge. Virtual Wards as a solution to prevent admission needs a different leadership model, different interfaces and a different way of thinking.
Integration and System-Level Change
Achieving meaningful change in Virtual Care requires action at a system level, not just within isolated teams or specialties. There’s consensus that scaling up is critical to realising benefits, including cost savings, as highlighted in our related White Paper. The importance of system-wide working versus siloed approaches was also discussed.
Role of Primary Care and Navigation
We discussed the need to shift towards preventing admissions, which places more emphasis on the role of GPs for navigation. Making this as easy as possible for GPs to do is essential. There is also the question of rethinking and realigning incentives where necessary.
Generalist vs Specialist Virtual Wards
Moving away from highly specialised Virtual Wards to General models (e.g. Frailty, General Medicine, General Surgery) would reduce barriers to patient inclusion and support increasing referrals direct from Primary Care. Setting up General Virtual Wards with both General Medicine Consultants or GPs and drawing on specialist staff support where required would increase admissions and support scalability.
Escalation and Acuity
Standardised escalation models and routes are helpful for navigation and aligning services, especially for knowing when a Virtual Ward is the right model of care or whether remote monitoring or SDEC is more appropriate. Standardising acuity scoring was also recognised as necessary for effective admission of the right patients and escalation and de-escalation, but practical implementation is challenging due to varying systems and pathways. There’s significant variation in Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and care pathways nationally, further complicating standardisation efforts.
Data and Information Flows
Virtual care should be about enabling faster flows of information, not restricting care due to lack of in-person contact. Switching the narrative to focus on the opportunities Virtual Care has for increasing information flows can help with risk appetite, buy-in and support for Virtual Care. The increase in faster flows of information will be further supported by quality data and using analysis to convert data into useful insights for clinical and operational staff for decision making.