Virtual wards (also known as hospital at home) allow patients to get the care they need at home safely and conveniently, rather than being in hospital. This includes either preventing avoidable hospital admissions or supporting people to safely leave hospital sooner.
Systems are asked to continue to embed, standardise and scale virtual ward capacity, ensuring that local virtual ward services are aligned to local demand for both children and adults. This is outlined in the 2025/26 Priorities and Operational Planning Guidance and the Neighbourhood Health Guidelines 2025/26.