| Status | Awaiting development |
| Technology type | Device |
| Decision | Selected |
| Reason for decision | Anticipate the topic will be of importance to patients, carers, professionals, commissioners and the health of the public to ensure clinical benefit is realised, inequalities in use addressed, and help them make the best use of NHS resources |
| Further information | This topic has been identified as a national policy priority and the need for guidance in this area has been ratified with national virtual wards leads, the National Clinical Director for heart disease, and the NICE-NHS England Digital Prioritisation Subgroup. Virtual wards provide an alternative to a hospital admission and/or a safe early discharge pathway for people who require ongoing hospital level monitoring and treatment for an acute episode of their condition. Using virtual wards for heart failure could help address the aims of the NHS Long Term Plan to improve rapid access to specialist care and advice and better, personalised planning for heart failure patients to reduce nights spent in hospital. Virtual wards allow people to be cared for in the comfort of their own home or usual place of residence while also reducing the pressure on hospital inpatient services. There is also a reduced risk of hospital acquired infections. |
| Process | MTEP |
Timeline
Key events during the development of the guidance:
| Date | Update |
|---|---|
| 07 February 2024 | Awaiting development. Status change linked to Topic Selection Decision being set to Selected |
For further information on our processes and methods, please see our CHTE processes and methods manual