'It was absolutely brilliant': Limerick hospital's 'virtual ward' allows patients to recover at home

University Hospital Limerick has treated more than 1,000 patients via a remote technology kit, freeing up thousands of inpatient beds

Virtual ward patients take home a technology kit, including a tablet and medical diagnostic equipment that links them with the central hub in UHL, allowing for 24/7 monitoring. Picture: Dan Linehan

More than 1,000 patients have been treated at home via an acute virtual ward at University Hospital Limerick, a move which has helped the hospital free up “valuable” 10,603 inpatient beds.

Since the ward opened in July 2024, a total of 1,128 patients have been "onboarded" thanks to the remote technology allowing them to be treated and monitored safely from their homes.