NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) is set to revolutionise healthcare delivery in Scotland with a major expansion of its virtual wards, aiming to create the equivalent of 1,000 hospital beds that allow patients to receive hospital-level care from the comfort of their own homes.
The health board, which serves over 1.2 million people and is the largest in Scotland, has partnered with virtual care specialist Doccla to integrate advanced remote monitoring technology into its clinical care pathways. The move is designed to provide clinicians with real-time patient data, ease pressure on hospitals and promote long-term workforce sustainability within the NHS.
Jane Gardner, CEO of NHSGGC, hailed the development as a transformative step in healthcare delivery: 'We are excited to work together to establish the first 1,000 virtual bed hospital embedded within our planned Flow Navigation Centre +Plus. This partnership with Doccla is an important step forward. It will allow us to deliver the right care in the right place for our patients, helping us to transform and develop our NHS now and into the future.'
The Flow Navigation Centre +Plus is NHSGGC’s upcoming virtual service for emergency care, designed to help manage patient flow and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions by supporting early intervention and efficient care coordination.
The collaboration will see Doccla’s digital health tools embedded directly into NHSGGC’s operations, enabling healthcare professionals to track patients' vital signs remotely and intervene quickly if conditions deteriorate.
Dag Larsson, CEO of Doccla, described the partnership as a pivotal moment in digital healthcare: 'Our partnership with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde marks a major milestone in the evolution of virtual care. Together, we are laying the foundation for the hospital of the future—digitally enabled, patient focused, and built around delivering care where it’s needed most.'
This initiative is expected to alleviate pressure on traditional hospital wards, reduce admissions, and allow patients to recover in a more familiar and comfortable environment. It also aligns with broader NHS goals of integrating more digital-first solutions to tackle growing demand and workforce challenges.
As virtual care becomes a cornerstone of modern healthcare, NHSGGC’s bold move positions Scotland as a frontrunner in the global shift toward more flexible, tech-enabled health systems.
