Gloucestershire Health and Care- NHS Trust logo
with you, for you
Responses > Virtual Ward (Adult) Services

Freedom of Information request Virtual Ward (Adult) Services

Response published: 3 October 2025
NHS

FOI Request

To whom it may concern, I am a doctor in the NHS currently undertaking a review of Adult Virtual Ward services across the South West region. I would be grateful if you could provide the following information under the Freedom of Information Act. Timeframe: 1 April 2024 – most recent month available (monthly breakdown if possible). Please provide the following about your Adult Virtual Ward service(s): Configuration • Which adult pathways are delivered (e.g., frailty, acute respiratory infection, heart failure)? • Date of go-live for each pathway. • Usual operating hours. • Definition of a “virtual ward bed” used in reporting. Activity & Capacity • Funded capacity (VW “beds”). • Average occupied bed-days / occupancy. • Number of patients admitted and discharged. • Average length of stay on the VW. Outcomes & Safety • 7-day and 30-day unplanned ED attendances, hospital admissions, or readmissions following VW discharge. • Number of patients escalated to inpatient care from the VW. • Number of deaths occurring on the VW. Finance & Benefits • 2024/25 budget allocated to VW(s). • Any available analysis of cost-effectiveness or “bed days avoided.” Data definitions • Please confirm whether your reporting matches the NHS England Virtual Ward SitRep definitions. If the above data is routinely submitted to NHS England or available in existing reports, please provide those reports directly. Many thanks for your assistance,

FOI Response

Freedom of Information Request – Ref: FOI 228-2025

Thank you for your recent Freedom of Information request. Please find our response below.

You asked:

Please provide the following about your Adult Virtual Ward service(s):

Configuration
• Which adult pathways are delivered (e.g., frailty, acute respiratory infection, heart failure)?
• Date of go-live for each pathway.
• Usual operating hours.
• Definition of a “virtual ward bed” used in reporting.

Activity & Capacity
• Funded capacity (VW “beds”).
• Average occupied bed-days / occupancy.
• Number of patients admitted and discharged.
• Average length of stay on the VW.

Outcomes & Safety
• 7-day and 30-day unplanned ED attendances, hospital admissions, or readmissions following VW discharge.
• Number of patients escalated to inpatient care from the VW.
• Number of deaths occurring on the VW.

Finance & Benefits
• 2024/25 budget allocated to VW(s).
• Any available analysis of cost-effectiveness or “bed days avoided.”

Data definitions
• Please confirm whether your reporting matches the NHS England Virtual Ward SitRep definitions.

Our response:

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundations Trust do not have any Adult Virtual Wards.  Please re-direct your request to Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust at ghn-tr.foi@nhs.net.

Next steps:

Should you have any queries in relation to our response, please do not hesitate to contact us. If you are unhappy with the response you have received in relation to your request and wish to ask us to review our response, you should write to:

Louise Moss
Head of Legal Services / Associate Director of Corporate Governance
c/o Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
Edward Jenner Court
1010 Pioneer Avenue
Gloucester Business Park
Brockworth, GL3 4AW
E-mail: louise.moss@ghc.nhs.uk

If you are not content with the outcome of any review, you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for further advice/guidance. Generally, the ICO will not consider your case unless you have exhausted your enquiries with the Trust which should include considering the use of the Trust’s formal complaints procedure. The ICO can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.