Inhealthcare, a leading provider of remote patient monitoring and digital health services, has partnered with Leeds Children’s Hospital to launch one of the UK’s first virtual wards for paediatric oncology patients, enabling children with cancer to receive care and monitoring at home rather than spending extended periods in hospital.
The company’s digital platform allows children to be discharged earlier from hospital while still receiving close monitoring and clinical support from specialist healthcare teams. Through a user-friendly smartphone app, parents submit daily information about their child’s condition, which healthcare professionals review remotely, enabling timely interventions when necessary with features including secure messaging, photo-sharing capabilities, and alert thresholds that notify clinicians immediately of concerning symptoms.
Twelve-year-old Lily Soanes, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in December, has been among the first patients to benefit from the service. Her mother, Jodie Soanes, described the positive impact of the virtual ward: “I’m glad we had the opportunity available to us. Seeing Lily at home and the difference it made, seeing her smile as soon as she came home… Being in our own surroundings made such a difference to her recovery and wellbeing.”
Dr Susan Picton, consultant paediatric oncologist at Leeds Children’s Hospital, said: “We developed virtual wards for paediatric oncology because many families were spending long periods of time in hospital when potentially they could go home with parents taking some observations themselves, reducing their children’s length of stay. These children were almost ready for discharge but needed a few days of monitoring. This makes a big difference to them – if they were coming in every three weeks for chemotherapy, another five days on the ward is a long time.”
The service has proven beneficial for staff as well, with all team members surveyed reporting the virtual ward improves their workload management and daily operations.
The virtual ward began as a pilot in October 2023 and transitioned to the new Inhealthcare digital platform in October 2024. The service has demonstrated how digital technology can transform care delivery while maintaining high clinical standards and patient safety.
Dr Picton added: “Our surveys show families are universally very happy with the virtual ward because their children are happier at home and eat better there. It helps parents maintain some normality. When families are constantly in and out of hospital, they can face financial challenges. It’s a significant positive for them.”
The virtual ward also benefits the hospital system. Dr Picton said: “For the hospital, there is always pressure on beds. When patients no longer occupy beds, we can accommodate other patients who need treatment. We are constantly managing bed capacity to ensure timely chemotherapy for all patients.”
Nathalie Hawkin, account manager at Inhealthcare who helped implement the system in Leeds, has a personal connection to the service, having been treated for cancer at the same hospital as a child. “The system is life-changing for both patients and families,” she said.
Feedback from families has been overwhelmingly positive, with respondents finding the virtual ward service helpful and recommending it to others. Families report feeling confident caring for their child at home while knowing the virtual ward team is reviewing them daily.
Jamie Innes, product director at Inhealthcare, said: “We’re incredibly proud to support this innovative virtual ward at Leeds Children’s Hospital. Our technology is designed to bring healthcare closer to home, and there’s perhaps no more meaningful application than helping children with cancer spend more time with their families while still receiving expert clinical monitoring and care. The results we’re seeing demonstrate how digital solutions can transform healthcare delivery while prioritising patient comfort and wellbeing.”
Leeds Children’s Hospital is part of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which has rolled out virtual wards across 14 different clinical specialities including cardiology, emergency surgery and vascular diseases with more in development, such as urology and heart failure.