Hospital at Home Are Virtual Wards and Remote Care Covered
As an FCA-authorised broker that has helped arrange over 900,000 policies, WeCovr provides expert guidance on the evolving world of private medical insurance in the UK. One of the most significant recent developments is the rise of 'Hospital at Home' services, a topic we are increasingly discussing with our clients.
New PMI additions for virtual hospital services and at-home treatment
The landscape of UK healthcare is changing. Spurred on by innovations within the NHS and accelerated by the pandemic, the focus is shifting towards more flexible, patient-centric care. A key part of this evolution is the concept of 'Hospital at Home'—delivering hospital-level treatment and monitoring in the comfort of your own home.
Private medical insurance (PMI) providers have been quick to embrace this model. What was once a niche offering is now becoming a core feature of many comprehensive health insurance policies. Insurers are integrating 'virtual wards' and remote care services, recognising they offer a powerful combination of patient comfort, clinical effectiveness, and efficiency. This article explores what these services are, how they work, and what you need to know about their inclusion in your private health cover.
What Exactly is a 'Hospital at Home' Service?
Think of it as having the clinical team and monitoring capabilities of a hospital ward brought directly to your living room. Instead of you going to the hospital, the hospital, in essence, comes to you.
These services go by several names, but they share a common goal:
- Hospital at Home: This is the umbrella term for receiving acute, hospital-level care at home. This can be to avoid a hospital admission altogether or to allow for an earlier, supported discharge.
- Virtual Wards: This model uses technology—like wearable sensors, tablets, and video calls—to allow a clinical team to monitor your health remotely. They track your vital signs (like blood pressure, oxygen levels, and temperature) in real-time, just as they would on a physical ward.
- Remote Care: A broader term that includes virtual wards but also covers services like remote consultations with specialists or digital physiotherapy programmes.
In practice, a Hospital at Home service is a blend of technology and in-person care. You might have:
- Daily visits from a specialist nurse to administer IV antibiotics or change wound dressings.
- A physiotherapist visit to guide your post-operative rehabilitation.
- A set of easy-to-use medical devices that send your vital signs to a monitoring team.
- A dedicated 24/7 phone line to a clinical team for any concerns.
Why Are Insurers Adding Hospital at Home to PMI Policies?
The move towards at-home hospital care isn't just a trend; it's a strategic shift driven by several powerful factors. Understanding these drivers helps to see why it's a valuable addition to modern private medical insurance in the UK.
- Patient Preference: Overwhelmingly, patients prefer to recover in a familiar, comfortable environment. Being at home reduces the stress and anxiety often associated with a hospital stay, allowing patients to rest better, eat their own food, and be surrounded by family.
- Clinical Outcomes: Evidence suggests that for the right patients, recovering at home can be highly beneficial. A 2023 report highlighted by NHS England noted that patients on virtual wards have better outcomes, and their condition can improve faster. It also significantly reduces the risk of acquiring hospital-based infections.
- Efficiency and Cost-Effectiveness: While patient care is paramount, at-home services can be more efficient. They help free up much-needed hospital beds for more critical emergency cases. For insurers, this model can be more cost-effective than a lengthy inpatient stay, helping to manage the overall cost of claims and, in turn, keep premiums more stable over the long term.
- Technological Advancement: The rise of reliable, user-friendly wearable technology, high-speed internet, and secure telehealth platforms has made remote monitoring safer and more effective than ever before.
- NHS Leadership: The NHS has been a pioneer in this area, setting an ambitious target to deliver 10,000 virtual ward 'beds' to help manage hospital capacity. This has established a clinical and operational blueprint that the private sector can confidently adopt and build upon.
How Does Private Hospital at Home Coverage Work?
Accessing a Hospital at Home service through your PMI policy is a structured, clinically-led process. It's not something you can simply choose on a whim; it must be medically appropriate for your condition.
Here is the typical journey:
- Diagnosis of an Acute Condition: You are diagnosed with an acute (short-term, unexpected) illness or injury that would normally require admission to a hospital. This could be a severe infection needing IV antibiotics, or the period immediately following major surgery.
- Consultant Recommendation: Your specialist consultant determines that your condition is stable enough to be managed safely and effectively at home with clinical support.
- Insurer's Clinical Assessment: Your consultant contacts your insurer. The insurer’s own clinical team will review your case to confirm your eligibility for their Hospital at Home service. They will work with a specialist third-party provider who delivers the care.
- Care Plan Creation: A personalised care plan is drawn up. This details the schedule of nurse or therapist visits, the technology you'll use for remote monitoring, and clear instructions on who to contact in an emergency.
- Service Delivery: The service begins. You receive the necessary equipment and a full briefing. The combination of home visits and remote monitoring starts, continuing until you are clinically discharged from the service by the medical team.
Critical Note: Acute Conditions Only
It is vital to understand that PMI, including its Hospital at Home benefits, is designed exclusively for the treatment of acute conditions that arise after you take out your policy. It does not cover the day-to-day management of chronic conditions (like diabetes, asthma, or multiple sclerosis) or any pre-existing conditions you had before your cover began.
Which UK Insurers Offer Hospital at Home Services? A Comparison
Most major UK private health cover providers now offer a form of Hospital at Home. While the core principle is the same, the names and specific features can vary. An expert PMI broker like WeCovr can help you navigate these differences to find the policy that best suits your needs, at no extra cost to you.
Here's a comparison of the services offered by leading UK insurers as of late 2024/early 2025.
| Provider | Service Name | Key Features & How It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Bupa | Bupa From Home | A comprehensive service managed by Bupa's own clinical teams. It includes remote monitoring, nurse visits for treatments like chemotherapy and IV antibiotics, and post-operative care. It is activated following a referral from a Bupa-recognised consultant. |
| AXA Health | Clinical Support at Home | Delivered by a partner organisation, this service provides hospital-level nursing care at home. It focuses on IV treatments, wound care, and other complex nursing needs to facilitate early discharge or avoid admission. It requires consultant referral and clinical approval from AXA. |
| Aviva | Hospital@Home | In partnership with a specialist provider, Aviva offers this service for a range of conditions. It includes remote monitoring technology, specialist nursing, and therapy services. The aim is to provide a safe and effective alternative to an inpatient hospital stay. |
| Vitality | Vitality at Home | This service provides access to virtual wards and remote care, often integrated with Vitality's broader digital health ecosystem. It can include diagnostics at home (like blood tests or ECGs) and post-operative care, all coordinated through the Vitality GP and care team. |
Note: The availability and specifics of these services depend on your chosen level of cover and clinical suitability. Always check the policy details.
What Specific Treatments Are Covered at Home?
The range of treatments that can now be safely administered at home is surprisingly broad. The service is tailored to your specific needs, but common examples include:
- Intravenous (IV) Therapies: This is one of the most common uses. Instead of staying in hospital for a multi-day course of IV antibiotics, you can receive the daily infusions from a nurse at home. It is also used for delivering some forms of chemotherapy and other specialist drugs.
- Post-Operative Care: After surgery, you might be discharged earlier with support. This includes:
- Complex wound care and dressing changes.
- Management of surgical drains.
- Pain management assessment and support.
- Rehabilitation: Following procedures like a knee or hip replacement, a physiotherapist can visit you at home to begin your recovery exercises in your own environment.
- Remote Monitoring: For conditions like pneumonia or post-operative recovery, your vital signs (oxygen saturation, blood pressure, heart rate, temperature) can be monitored continuously by a clinical team, who will be alerted to any changes.
- Respiratory Support: Management of conditions requiring oxygen therapy or nebulisers.
A Real-Life Example:
John, 65, undergoes a scheduled hip replacement. His PMI policy includes a Hospital at Home service. His surgeon determines he is recovering well but still requires daily wound checks and guided physiotherapy. Instead of staying in hospital for 5 days, he is discharged on day 3. For the next week, a specialist nurse visits him daily to check his wound, and a physiotherapist visits three times to guide him through crucial early-stage exercises in his own home. All of this is arranged and fully covered by his insurer.
The Role of Technology in Virtual Wards
The technology behind virtual wards is designed to be simple, secure, and reassuring for the patient. You don't need to be a tech expert to use it. A typical 'kit' might include:
- A Tablet or Smartphone: Pre-loaded with a secure app for video calls with your clinical team and for answering daily questions about your symptoms.
- Wearable Sensors: These are simple, medical-grade devices. Examples include:
- A pulse oximeter: a small clip for your finger to measure blood oxygen and pulse rate.
- A blood pressure monitor: an automatic cuff for your arm.
- A digital thermometer.
- Clear Instructions: Full training is provided on how to use the devices, which often transmit data automatically to the monitoring hub.
This technology creates a constant, reassuring connection to your care team, providing peace of mind that you are being looked after even when a nurse isn't physically present.
Benefits and Potential Drawbacks of Hospital at Home
While the benefits are significant, it's important to have a balanced view. This model is not suitable for everyone or every condition.
| Benefits | Potential Drawbacks & Considerations |
|---|---|
| Greater Comfort & Less Stress: Recover in the familiarity of your own bed. | Not For Everyone: Unsuitable for highly unstable patients or those needing intensive, 24/7 hands-on care. |
| Reduced Infection Risk: Avoids exposure to hospital-acquired infections like MRSA. | Home Environment: Requires a clean, safe home with reliable internet and phone signal. |
| Faster Recovery: Patients often feel better and get mobile quicker at home. | Social Support: May require a family member or friend to be available for support, especially in the initial days. |
| Personalised Care: You receive focused, one-to-one attention during home visits. | Potential for Isolation: Some people may miss the social aspect and constant presence of staff on a ward. |
| Less Family Disruption: Avoids difficult hospital visiting hours and travel for loved ones. | Technology Reliance: While reliable, technology can occasionally fail, requiring troubleshooting. |
Your consultant and insurer will always prioritise your safety. If there is any doubt about the suitability of at-home care, or if your condition deteriorates, there is a clear and immediate plan to admit you to a private hospital.
Important Exclusions to Remember
Understanding what isn't covered is as crucial as knowing what is. Private medical insurance is a specific product with clear boundaries.
- Chronic Conditions: Hospital at Home services are for an acute episode of illness. They do not cover the long-term, ongoing management of chronic illnesses like COPD, diabetes, heart failure, or arthritis. These conditions are a standard exclusion on UK PMI policies.
- Pre-existing Conditions: Any medical condition for which you have experienced symptoms, sought advice, or received treatment in the years before your policy starts (typically the last 5 years) will be excluded from cover.
- Social Care: PMI covers clinical medical treatment. It does not cover 'social care'—help with daily living activities like washing, dressing, cooking, or shopping. While you may need this support during your recovery, it is not funded by your health insurance.
- Mental Health: While some policies are expanding their at-home mental health support, it's typically for defined, short-term therapy sessions rather than a full 'Hospital at Home' model for acute psychiatric crises.
The Future of Remote Care and PMI
The integration of Hospital at Home is just the beginning. The future of private health cover will likely see an even greater fusion of digital and at-home services, focusing on both treatment and prevention.
We can expect to see:
- Greater use of AI: Artificial intelligence will help clinical teams analyse remote monitoring data to predict potential problems before they become serious.
- Expansion of Services: More complex treatments and a wider range of post-operative support will be adapted for the home environment.
- Preventative Digital Health: Insurers will continue to invest in tools that help members stay healthy. For instance, at WeCovr, we provide our PMI and Life Insurance clients with complimentary access to our AI-powered calorie and nutrition tracking app, CalorieHero, to support their wellness goals. We also offer discounts on other insurance products to our valued clients.
This shift empowers you to take a more active role in your health, with your insurer acting as a partner in both your treatment and your overall wellbeing.
Is 'Hospital at Home' the same as private home nursing?
Can I choose to have Hospital at Home instead of going into a hospital?
What happens if my condition gets worse while I'm on a virtual ward?
Does private medical insurance cover pre-existing or chronic conditions?
Navigating the new features and options in the private medical insurance market can be complex. At WeCovr, our job is to make it simple. Our expert advisors can compare policies from the UK's leading insurers, explain the benefits like Hospital at Home, and find the right cover for your needs and budget—all at no cost to you.
Related guides
Why private medical insurance and how does it work?
What is Private Medical Insurance?
Private medical insurance (PMI) is a type of health insurance that provides access to private healthcare services in the UK. It covers the cost of private medical treatment, allowing you to bypass NHS waiting lists and receive faster, more convenient care.How does it work?
Private medical insurance works by paying for your private healthcare costs. When you need treatment, you can choose to go private and your insurance will cover the costs, subject to your policy terms and conditions. This can include:• Private consultations with specialists
• Private hospital treatment and surgery
• Diagnostic tests and scans
• Physiotherapy and rehabilitation
• Mental health treatment
Your premium depends on factors like your age, health, occupation, and the level of cover you choose. Most policies offer different levels of cover, from basic to comprehensive, allowing you to tailor the policy to your needs and budget.
Questions to ask yourself regarding private medical insurance
Just ask yourself:👉 Are you concerned about NHS waiting times for treatment?
👉 Would you prefer to choose your own consultant and hospital?
👉 Do you want faster access to diagnostic tests and scans?
👉 Would you like private hospital accommodation and better food?
👉 Do you want to avoid the stress of NHS waiting lists?
Many people don't realise that private medical insurance is more affordable than they think, especially when you consider the value of faster treatment and better facilities. A great insurance policy can provide peace of mind and ensure you receive the care you need when you need it.
Benefits offered by private medical insurance
Private medical insurance provides numerous benefits that can significantly improve your healthcare experience and outcomes:Faster Access to Treatment
One of the biggest advantages is avoiding NHS waiting lists. While the NHS provides excellent care, waiting times can be lengthy. With private medical insurance, you can often receive treatment within days or weeks rather than months.
Choice of Consultant and Hospital
You can choose your preferred consultant and hospital, giving you more control over your healthcare journey. This is particularly important for complex treatments where you want a specific specialist.
Better Facilities and Accommodation
Private hospitals typically offer superior facilities, including private rooms, better food, and more comfortable surroundings. This can make your recovery more pleasant and potentially faster.
Advanced Treatments
Private medical insurance often covers treatments and medications not available on the NHS, giving you access to the latest medical advances and technologies.
Mental Health Support
Many policies include comprehensive mental health coverage, providing faster access to therapy and psychiatric care when needed.
Tax Benefits for Business Owners
If you're self-employed or a business owner, private medical insurance premiums can be tax-deductible, making it a cost-effective way to protect your health and your business.
Peace of Mind
Knowing you have access to private healthcare when you need it provides invaluable peace of mind, especially for those with ongoing health conditions or concerns about NHS capacity.
Private medical insurance is particularly valuable for those who want to take control of their healthcare journey and ensure they receive the best possible treatment when they need it most.
Important Fact!
We can look at a more suitable option mid-term!
Why is it important to get private medical insurance early?
👉 Many people are very thankful that they had their private medical insurance cover in place before running into some serious health issues. Private medical insurance is as important as life insurance for protecting your family's finances.👉 We insure our cars, houses, and even our phones! Yet our health is the most precious thing we have.
Easily one of the most important insurance purchases an individual or family can make in their lifetime, the decision to buy private medical insurance can be made much simpler with the help of FCA-authorised advisers. They are the specialists who do the searching and analysis helping people choose between various types of private medical insurance policies available in the market, including different levels of cover and policy types most suitable to the client's individual circumstances.
It certainly won't do any harm if you speak with one of our experienced insurance experts who are passionate about advising people on financial matters related to private medical insurance and are keen to provide you with a free consultation.
You can discuss with them in detail what affordable private medical insurance plan for the necessary peace of mind they would recommend! WeCovr works with some of the best advisers in the market.
By tapping the button below, you can book a free call with them in less than 30 seconds right now:
Our Group Is Proud To Have Issued 800,000+ Policies!
We've established collaboration agreements with leading insurance groups to create tailored coverage
How It Works
1. Complete a brief form
2. Our experts analyse your information and find you best quotes
3. Enjoy your protection!
Any questions?
Learn more
Who Are WeCovr?
WeCovr is an insurance specialist for people valuing their peace of mind and a great service.👍 WeCovr will help you get your private medical insurance, life insurance, critical illness insurance and others in no time thanks to our wonderful super-friendly experts ready to assist you every step of the way.
Just a quick and simple form and an easy conversation with one of our experts and your valuable insurance policy is in place for that needed peace of mind!