Hospitals are urged to increase use of virtual wards to cut admissions

NHS England has set out its latest plans to slash waiting times in urgent and emergency care with an expansion of virtual wards, giving GPs the ability to directly refer patients to same day emergency care, while offering financial incentives to hospitals to cut 12 hour emergency waits.

In a letter to integrated care boards (ICBs) and trusts, NHS England thanked staff for progress made over the past year and set out the next steps for its two year recovery plan for urgent and emergency care.1

The plans are intended to help hospitals meet two new targets: for …