Boost Patient Morale by Providing Free TV Access for the Euros

The importance of keeping patients connected to the outside world

It’s easy for patients to feel isolated in hospital, trapped in the bubble that is their ward. It’s important to create a sense of community, something the hospital radio’s do brilliantly. Other community building events that the UK gets behind include sport, and more specifically, football.

Big football events don’t only create a sense of community in wards:

• They provide mental distraction and engagement for patients which helps them escape the monotony of their hospital routines or medical conditions, while positively impacting their emotional states.
• The thrill of watching matches, and supporting their team, can improve the patient’s mood while reducing stress and anxiety. Sharing this experience with others also fosters a sense of community.
• Providing access to matches help patients feel connected to the outside world and maintain a sense of normalcy, despite their medical circumstances.

Trusts can fund The Euros for patients 

120 Hospitals have Hospedia Bedside Units. These are known as TV entertainment systems for patients. However, they do provide more than just TV. You can learn more about the functionality of these Bedside Units here.

It’s easy to disregard TV as a fickle resource for those in hospital. Yet something so simple can bring about numerus benefits. This can include helping patients recover faster, boosting morale and creating a sense of community.

Most of the sites with Hospedia Bedside Units require patients to pay for TV outside the free period (which is 6am to 12pm). You can learn why patients still have to pay for TV and what we’re doing to change that in this blog.

With the EURO tournament in June, we’re encouraging Trusts and/or their charities to fund match days. Getting patients involved with one of the biggest sporting events of the year will keep them connected to the outside world and create a sense of community, or healthy rivalry, within wards. The stimulation provided can help encourage a faster recovery, boost morale, and therefore improve the patient experience.

Options available to fund TV for The Euros 2024

The current concession model on Hospedia Bedside Units is based off utilisation. The more patients that use the Bedside Units, the lower the price can be while still being able to maintain the service. That’s why with Trust paid solutions, they pay much less per day because essentially, every unit is being used.

Trusts and their charities can choose to pay for TV in three ways.

• Pay upfront for the matches the Trust wants to fund. You can pay for the first three England games, semi-finals and finals for example. This can also be regardless of which teams progress.
• Pay upfront for a credit of however many days the Trust wants to pay for. Let us know which matches you want to use the credits for at least three working days before the chosen match/matches.
• Pay on an ad hoc basis depending on who qualifies in the previous rounds. The request needs to be made at least three working days before the chosen match/matches.

To start discussions about how your Trust can bring joy to patients through the funding of this major sporting event, get in touch with us.