RCN Head of Nursing Practice, Wendy Preston, said:
“Virtual wards aren’t a silver bullet to solve the crisis in health and social care. Whether they’re in a physical bed or on a virtual ward, patients still need to be able to see a nurse.
“But there are over 40,000 nursing vacancies across the NHS, and social care is chronically understaffed. Run effectively, virtual wards can relieve pressure, but on every single shift nursing staff are fighting an uphill battle to care for too many patients.
“If the UK government wants to turn around the state of the NHS and deliver the 'hospital level' care at home that patients expect, nursing staff need to see game-changing investment in the workforce.”