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Contact usVirtual Wards Economic Cost Model
On behalf of NHS England London, the Health Innovation Network South London (HIN) collaborated with York Health Economics Consortium (YHEC) to develop a virtual wards economic cost model that can be used by local NHS decision makers to understand the economic consequences of virtual wards, and consider the overall economic viability of the service to guide commissioning decisions.
On this page we provide the background to this work, and also links to the model and associated guidance to support use by Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and virtual ward providers.
Introduction to the model
London ICB stakeholders, the NHS England London Digital Team and virtual wards stakeholders were involved in the co-production of the model to ensure that it is fit-for-purpose. In workshops with London ICBs stakeholders, most reported that they found the model and outputs easy to interpret, and of value to their retrospective and prospective planning of various virtual ward pathways.
The model's focus on resource use allows the user to input all parameters, and consider the full costs and outcomes associated with a virtual ward such as:
The time spent by health professionals (providing care, monitoring).
The costs of technology (use, licensing, set up).
The consequences of the intervention (admissions to hospital from the virtual ward, and readmission to the virtual ward).
Download the full report in the resources section below to view pre-populated hypothetical scenarios for an acute respiratory infection (ARI) pathway.
While the scenarios are hypothetical, the estimates are drawn from real world evidence, demonstrating model functionality and aiding in identifying areas to increase efficiency of a virtual ward.
Resources
Full report
Download and read the full report on the Virtual Ward Economic Cost Model.
Download the report
Model tutorial video
Watch the tutorial on how to use the Virtual Ward Economic Cost Model.
Watch the tutorial
Virtual Ward Economic Cost Model
We recommend reading the user guide thoroughly before attempting to generate insights.
Download the virtual ward economic cost model
User guide
This guide provides instructions for how to use the modelling tool effectively. Please read this guide prior to using the modelling tool, and ensure you have the required data available to access the full functionality of the model.
Download the user guide
Data collection template
This data collection template was developed to ensure that relevant data is collected in the correct format for ICBs to generate local results. It is a checklist split into the essential and desirable parameters.
Download the data collection template
