How video privacy is enabling virtual wards in the NHS
Virtual wards represent an exciting shift in patient care. This innovative approach leverages digital health tools to monitor and support patients in the comfort of their own homes for continuous, personalised care - and the demand for these services is growing.
Virtual wards use medical devices approved by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to remotely monitor patients' vital signs. If a patient's readings breach preset thresholds, an alert is automatically sent to their clinical team for immediate intervention. This system not only supports early hospital discharge but also helps prevent avoidable admissions.
In fact, in 2023, the NHS set a target to establish 40–50 virtual wards per 100,000 people by the next winter. The costs of these wards will be managed through a combination of government funding, with some support from private-sector partnerships. The plan will require extensive coordination across NHS trusts, such as upgrades to digital infrastructure and training for healthcare professionals to use the new technologies effectively. In October 2023, the NHS had already successfully delivered 10,000 virtual ward beds, with hundreds of thousands of patients being treated at home.
In the US, broader adoption is often hindered by a lack of reimbursement from insurance companies, cultural clashes and patient resistance, and technology and staff challenges. However, there have been successful implementations.
Massachusetts General Hospital's virtual hospital program focuses on patients with complex medical conditions, to reduce readmissions and save costs. Similarly, Mount Sinai Health System in New York launched a virtual hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic to manage patients with mild to moderate symptoms. The Mayo Clinic and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center have also implemented virtual care programs with positive outcomes, including reduced hospital stays and improved patient satisfaction.
Virtual wards across the UK’s NHS would alleviate pressure on healthcare facilities and promise enhanced care in the comfort of the patient's home. However, the shift towards virtual wards and the extensive use of digital tools in healthcare raise significant privacy and data protection concerns.
Where is the balance between hospital and home, and how can privacy be ensured throughout?
The privacy challenge in virtual healthcare
Video consultations, a core component of virtual wards, involve sensitive health information exchanges and capture patients in their most vulnerable moments. A data breach in such a scenario could have serious implications, and erode patient trust in virtual healthcare technologies.
A 2023 investigation revealed that several NHS trusts shared intimate patient details, such as medical conditions and treatments, with Facebook without consent via a covert tracking tool. This breach highlights significant privacy risks similar to virtual wards, where sensitive health information is exchanged digitally.
The transition to technology-enabled care at home requires robust protection measures for patients' visual and audio data during virtual consultations.
Strong encryption protocols for data, both stored and transmitted, will ensure unauthorized individuals cannot access sensitive information. Data minimization, strict access control, incident response plans and monitoring systems that detect anomalies in real time will also significantly reduce the risk of privacy breaches.
This protection extends to video feeds, patient records, and communications between medical devices and healthcare providers, and lays a foundational layer through each stage of data processing of privacy and security.
Patient consent and compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR are also non-negotiable for operating within legal and ethical frameworks.
Additionally, education for patients on the secure use of digital health tools and their privacy rights empowers them to participate actively in safeguarding their health data.
The NHS has already stated clear duties to integrate privacy measures into its virtual wards strategy by implementing strong encryption, data minimization, and robust information governance. This is supported by £450 million in government funding through the Service Development Fund to cover technology and privacy solution costs. These efforts ensure patient data security while managing budget constraints through private-sector partnerships.
The future of healthcare lies in the balance between technological advancement and the ethical responsibility to protect patient privacy. As healthcare providers continue to navigate the complexities of virtual care delivery, adopting privacy solutions can be a great tool for protecting patient data and enabling virtual wards. Through these efforts, virtual wards can achieve a secure and effective environment for delivering care - and facilitate patient confidence and a broader acceptance of digital healthcare solutions.
Secure Redact offers an essential tool for integrating virtual wards into healthcare delivery. Automatic detection for anonymisation of personal identifiers in video data can ensure patient privacy is maintained during video consultations.