Bringing Hospital Home: Redesigning Virtual Wards Through Empathy, Evidence and Connectivity

The Challenge

As the NHS faces unprecedented demand on secondary care, Virtual Wards have emerged as a critical innovation. Our client a leading connectivity partner needed to build a deep understanding of how to navigate a fragmented, locally driven healthcare system with national policy ambitions, and identify where partnership opportunities existed in a rapidly evolving health tech space

Our Approach

A three stage approach comprised of

1. Policy and Governance Analysis to build a rich understanding of the structural enablers and constraints 

2. Market landscape review to evaluate and segment the Virtual Ward tech market and identify potential partners

3. Human-Centred Qualitative Research. In depth interviews with frontline care providers, procurement specialists and patients and caregivers with lived experience of remote care 

The Outcome

The research provided key market insights that helped to shape the business strategy, identifying key Virtual Ward partners and helping to reposition the offer before going to market

The insights fed directly into new pilot models designed to:

• Demonstrate reductions in setup time, travel, and emergency admissions
• Support ICBs in expanding Virtual Ward reach beyond hospital-led hubs
• Provide cost-efficiency data to justify longer-term funding post-matched grants

 

The research was listed as a finalist in the 2025 MRS B2B network award for business-to business research