What is the Virtual Ward?
The Virtual Ward gives you hospital-level care while you stay in the comfort of your own home. Our team monitors your health every day and provides support through telehealth videocalls or phone calls. If your condition changes, a nurse or doctor can review you quickly and arrange hospital care if needed.
You are always involved in decisions about your care. We encourage you to:
- Ask questions
- Tell us what matters to you
- Share feedback
Who is in the Virtual Ward care team?
Doctors – oversee your medical care, review your condition and adjust your treatment plan.
Nurses – check in with you daily, monitor your symptoms and provide clinical support.
Pharmacists – review your medications, ensure they are safe and effective and help organise prescriptions through your local chemist.
Social Workers – support your wellbeing, help with practical needs and connect you with community services if required.
Your rights and raising concerns
Your care is important to us. We follow the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights, which outlines what you should expect when receiving care – including safety, respect, communication and involvement in decisions.
If at any time you feel your concerns are not being heard, you can use Ryan’s Rule. Ryan’s Rule gives you and your family a clear way to request an urgent clinical review if you feel your condition is worsening or your concerns are not being addressed.
Julian’s Key Health Passport (Julian’s Key) is a communication tool designed to help healthcare staff provide you with the best care by sharing important and useful information about patients, as chosen by patients.
What happens next?
Within 24 hours, a Metro North Virtual Ward team member will contact you to confirm your details and help you get set up for receiving daily telehealth calls from the Virtual Ward team.
On your first day, you will virtually meet with a doctor and pharmacist via telehealth to talk about your condition, your care plan and your medications.
Any medications prescribed by the Virtual Ward doctor can be delivered to your home for free or arranged through your usual pharmacy.
If you need monitoring, we can provide devices to check your blood pressure, oxygen levels, heart rate, temperature and/or weight. These devices are free and yours to keep. We can help set the devices up to provide daily readings to the team.
While you are in the Virtual Ward, our team will contact you daily to discuss you’re your current and any new symptoms, review your progress, and discuss any changes to your care plan.
If needed, we will also involve specialist clinicians to support your care at home.
Who do I call if I feel more unwell?
For emergencies, call 000 or go to your nearest emergency department.
If your symptoms get worse, call the Virtual Ward Deterioration Hotline on 1300 013 377 any time – 24/7 – to speak with a nurse.
For general questions, call the Virtual Ward team on 1300 001 966 between 7 am and 7 pm, 7 days a week.
Bob’s Journey
Let’s follow Bob’s journey. Bob is an 85-year-old man who lives at home with his wife. He visits the local hospital and is diagnosed with a kidney infection.
The hospital then refers him to the Virtual Ward. Bob is assessed by our team of healthcare professionals via telehealth who starts his treatment, provide monitoring equipment such as a thermometer and blood pressure monitor and provide ongoing daily review.
A blood test is organised for Bob which identifies a need for a change in his medication. A pharmacist calls Bob and arranges for the new medication to be delivered free of charge to his home. A doctor or nurse call Bob daily to check on him.
After a week on the Virtual Ward Bob is back to his usual self and discharged from the ward back to the care of his GP. Bob’s GP can track his progress and will receive a discharge letter from the Virtual Team.
Bob is very happy to have received the treatment he needed from the comfort of his home.