The rapid evolution of healthcare technology, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19
pandemic, has led to a significant increase in the establishment and expansion of
Virtual Wards by the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom. Virtual
wards provide patients with hospital-level care in the comfort of their homes, facil-
itating quicker recovery while also freeing up hospital beds for those most in need.
Patients receive daily reviews by the clinical team, which may involve home visits
or virtual ward rounds conducted via video technology. Many virtual wards utilize
apps, wearables, and other medical devices to enable clinical staff to easily monitor
patients’ recovery progress. While this shift extends healthcare services remotely, it
also presents cybersecurity challenges inherent to the new infrastructure, particularly
concerning human factors of stakeholders involved. This paper will explore the con-
text of NHS virtual wards, focusing on user interface design, usability, and accessibility
of virtual ward technologies, and discussing their impact on both patients and health-
care professionals. Special attention will be given to the challenges faced by diverse
patient groups, such as the elderly and individuals with disabilities, in navigating vir-
tual healthcare environments, and how these factors influence the vulnerabilities of
virtual ward technologies from a human factors perspective. Additionally, this paper
will examine regulatory frameworks and standards, the role of patient and staff train-
ing in cybersecurity awareness, and the integration of advanced security measures
within these new healthcare infrastructures. Emphasizing the importance of a human-
centric approach, this work will propose a multi-disciplinary strategy to address these
challenges, advocating for privacy-by-design modelling of Virtual Wards and promot-
ing collaboration among patients, healthcare professionals, IT experts, cybersecurity
specialists, and policymakers
