Extending Virtual Ward principles into long-term, preventative respiratory care.

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We’re proud to announce our partnership with Lewisham Health and Care Partnership to deliver Virtual Ward Plus, an innovative proactive respiratory service supporting residents with asthma and COPD to stay well at home.

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This service extends the principles of Virtual Wards into longer-term, preventative care - identifying residents at high risk of deterioration and intervening earlier to reduce avoidable admissions and emergency attendances. Patients receive structured remote clinical monitoring delivered by Doccla’s clinical team, including medicines optimisation and prescribing in line with agreed protocols. Alongside this, patients are supported with a personalised care plan, dedicated health coaching and round-the-clock support - empowering them to stay in control of their condition safely at home.

“Lewisham NHS Virtual Plus+ reflects the direction set out in the NHS 10-Year Health Plan: shifting care earlier and closer to home, preventing avoidable deterioration, and reducing pressure on urgent and emergency services. Through our partnership with Doccla, we are bringing together digital monitoring, coordinated clinical support and proactive intervention for residents living with long-term respiratory conditions, helping people stay well in the community and improving outcomes while easing demand on the system.”
Neil Goulbourne, Chief Strategy Officer and Deputy CEO, Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

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Proactive Care: Shifting the Clinical Trajectory

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Proactive Care shifts the model from reactive, episodic treatment to continuous, digitally enabled oversight for patients at highest risk. While 5% of patients account for more healthcare spending than the remaining 95% combined, a small cohort within that group persistently drives the highest costs year after year - often people living with complex, multi-morbid long-term conditions and recurrent non-elective admissions. By identifying rising risk early and intervening before deterioration escalates, systems can stabilise this cohort, prevent avoidable admissions and reduce sustained pressure on urgent and emergency services.

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To learn more, watch our leadership series Inside Proactive Care or explore our Patient Journey blog following Mary’s experience through our Enrol → Engage → Escalate → Evaluate pathway.

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