Mental health patient treated with clozapine via virtual ward
An NHS hospital trust has said it could be the first in England to have treated a patient with an anti-psychotic medication while monitoring them virtually.The mental health trust for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough said it treated the patient for schizophrenia with the drug clozapine.They were being monitored via a so-called virtual ward, where clinicians in the hospital keep track of the patient while they are at home.Consultant Dr Rajeev Krishnadas said the patient was "doing very well".
The treatment was the result of a partnership between the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) - which oversees mental health services in the area - and the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust (NWAFT).Dr Krishnadas, from CPFT, said clozapine was "hugely under-prescribed" because it was usually difficult to monitor the patient after they had begun treatment."If this initial project continues to be a success, even more people will be able to access clozapine and get the help and support they need," he said.Dr Deyo Okubadejo, clinical director for virtual wards at NWAFT, said: "This may also release some capacity for other patients who require urgent admission to a mental health ward from home or from an emergency department."
Mixed success
Virtual wards make use of video and other technology, such as wearable kits.Usually a patient receiving clozapine would need to stay in hospital.The scheme was first trialled at Peterborough City Hospital in 2022.The Health Foundation charity has pointed to the mixed success of virtual wards, with some areas struggling to access the right technology and one study finding that these "beds" could cost twice as much as a real hospital bed.The NHS describes psychosis as when people lose some contact with reality.This might involve seeing or hearing things that other people cannot see or hear – hallucinations - and believing things that are not actually true, known as delusions.
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