Children’s virtual ward enhances cancer care
The children's cancer ward at The Royal London Hospital is one of the first to use a new virtual ward system to enable children with cancer to spend more time at home and less time in the hospital.
Children with cancer are immunosuppressed, meaning they are at an increased risk of infection. This means when a patient develops a fever they need to be admitted to hospital for at least 48 hours, where they can be at further risk of picking up other illnesses.
However, the virtual ward system means that patients who are deemed well enough can return home after an initial assessment to be cared for in their own environment.
The virtual ward provides parents with equipment to record observations every four hours, such as body temperature and other health measurements. The data is continuously monitored by the clinical nurse specialist team who stay in touch with the parents and can escalate concerns when necessary.
Three-year-old Sonja received treatment for a brain tumour and was one of the first patients to use the Doccla virtual ward in this way. Kris, Sonja’s mum, said:
Every time Sonja gets a fever we have to rush her into hospital for IV antibiotics. Hospital stays are hard on everyone but particularly toddlers. Knowing that we could be monitored from the comfort of our home so Sonja can be with her family, eat the food she likes and play with her own toys has been transformational. In fact, the whole family has benefited from this approach - most of all Sonja's brother who would miss Sonja terribly while she was in hospital.
Over the 18 months of Sonja’s treatment we have spent more than 50 nights in hospital - without the virtual ward this number would have been much higher. It really is a game changer.
Naomi O’Connell, oncology clinical nurse specialist, said:
Supporting children like Sonja to be cared for at home helps us to look after patients and their families in a more holistic way, focusing on all aspects of health.
So far, dozens of patients have been cared for in this way, helping the team to prioritise bed space for the most unwell patients.
Since its initial launch in 2023, the virtual ward has cut the length of hospital stays for patients presenting with a fever (who are well enough to stay at home) from four days to 12.5 hours. Last year, around 44% of patients presenting with a fever were managed through the virtual ward.
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