What Is the Virtual Ward?
The Virtual Ward, also known as ‘Hospital @ Home‘ or ‘GP Direct‘, is a pioneering model of care that enables children and young people to receive hospital-level treatment in the comfort of their own homes. This approach reduces unnecessary hospital admissions, improves patient experience, and supports families with flexible, responsive care.
Our Virtual Ward is one of the largest paediatric virtual wards in the UK, recognised nationally for its innovation and positive impact on patients and families.
Meet the team
Our multidisciplinary team is managed by senior Children’s Community Nurses who hold clinical & non-medical prescribing duties. The team is supported by:
- Community Children’s Sisters & Nurses
- Leadership team
Together, we support over 25 services and have onboarded several GP practices across Merseyside.
How we operate
- Clinical hours are Monday to Sunday from 8am to 9.30pm (including bank holidays).
- Admin & Leadership hours are Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm.
Referral pathways
Internal Referrals
We take referrals from all departments across the Trust including:
- Emergency Department (ED)
- Paediatric Assessment Unit (PAU)
- General Paediatrics
- Specialist Services (e.g. IBD, Neurology, Dermatology, Nephrology, Endocrinology, Respiratory, Surgical Teams)
We accept out-of-hours referrals from Internal wards; this is managed by the hospital Bed Management team.
External referrals
GPs who have received our training session can refer directly to the Children’s Community Nursing Team (CCNT) using a condition-specific criteria. Patients remain under the care of their GP whilst receiving community nursing support. If necessary, our nurses would escalate patient care to the Paediatric Assessment Unit Consultants’ care or the Emergency Department as appropriate.
If you are a GP Practice based within Liverpool or South Sefton who would want to utilise this pathway, please get in touch. You can contact the team by emailing [email protected].