Hospital WiFi: What you didn’t know it could do

Hospital WiFi is no longer just a convenience. It’s a gateway to digital services that support patients, families and staff—from helpful signposting on the login page to fully fledged bedside apps that streamline day-to-day care.

NHS England’s Wi-Fi programme has already enabled 8,000+ centres of patient care across England, providing free access and ongoing guidance to keep services consistent nationwide.

Key takeaways

• WiFi can do far more than internet access. With SPARK Connect®, Trusts can present tailored messages, links and support right on the login page, turning WiFi into a patient-experience asset.
• Bring bedside services to life with SPARK Fusion®. Fusion adds TV/radio, video calling, digital meal ordering, nurse/service requests, surveys, EHR/HL7 FHIR integrations and more - improving flow and saving staff time. 
• Design for accessibility by default. The Accessible Information Standard was updated on 30 June 2025 - platforms and content should reflect those obligations. 
• Plan for scale and reliability. Public WiFi is best-effort; heavy live streaming can struggle. For consistent entertainment at scale, use managed bedside solutions. 

NHS WiFi powered by SPARK Connect®

Since the first deployment back in 2005, our NHS managed WiFi has grown into a 24/7/365 supported service with configurable design and messaging - ideal for signposting to hospital information, maps, visiting details, donations, feedback and more.

What you can do with the WiFi landing page (examples):

• Surface important notices (e.g., visiting hours, wayfinding, infection-control updates).
• Link to patient info (leaflets, pathway explainers, videos) and charity initiatives.
• Route people to video-visit options and community resources.
• Promote Friends and Family Test or local feedback surveys.

NHS England continues to support the national Wi-Fi footprint and guidance so Trusts can keep these experiences consistent. 

Tip: free public WiFi isn’t designed for mass live streaming. If TV and VOD are part of your experience promise, deliver them through a managed bedside platform so quality doesn’t depend on shared bandwidth. 

From WiFi to bedside digitisation with SPARK Fusion®

When you’re ready to go beyond a portal page, SPARK Fusion® turns each bedspace into a digital touchpoint - bringing education, entertainment and ward workflows into one place.

Highlights with SPARK Fusion®

• Entertainment: TV, radio and on-device content to reduce boredom and improve experience.
• Communication: Video calling, patient-to-staff messaging, and options for multilingual chat.
• Care processes: Digital meal ordering, nurse/service requests, pain scoring, door/room signage and room controls.
• Data & integration: Surveys (PREMs/PROMs), discharge evaluations, HL7/FHIR integrations to align with clinical systems. (FHIR continues to evolve across the NHS ecosystem; HL7 published multiple FHIR-based specifications in 2024 with ongoing updates in 2025.) 
• Virtual-ward readiness: Education and remote-communication features support safe discharge and at-home monitoring pathways, which NHS England is scaling across systems.

Everything is designed to save staff time and improve flow - so clinicians can focus on patient care rather than chasing non-clinical requests. 

Accessibility and inclusion (must-haves in 2025)

Accessibility isn’t optional. The Accessible Information Standard (AIS) update (30 June 2025) tightens expectations on accessible formats and communication support. Build your WiFi pages and bedside apps to:

• Provide subtitles, transcripts, large text and clear, plain language.
• Support alternative input and visible focus states.
• Make it easy for families and carers to find “what to expect” guides. 

How to upgrade (the simple path)

1. Speak to your account manager
2. Receive a detailed proposal aligned to your wards and pathways
3. Approve quote
4. Technical specification agreed
5. Project team coordination and site planning
6. Build & configuration (WiFi portal and/or Fusion bedside devices)
7. Service delivery handover
8. 24/7 support thereafter

Whether you’re adding smarter signposting to your WiFi or replacing legacy bedside units with SPARK Fusion®, we’ll map the right mix for your Trust and budget.

What “good” looks like

• A helpful WiFi welcome page that signposts to the things patients and families actually need.
• Bedside Fusion devices on priority wards (e.g., surgical, oncology, maternity) to digitise the high-impact journeys.
• Standards-aligned content and UI (AIS, plus good practice from NHS design guidance). 
• A clear plan for virtual wards and early supported discharge (Fusion assists with education, communications and surveys).

Ready to turn WiFi into a patient-experience platform?

We’ll help you use SPARK Connect® and SPARK Fusion® together - so patients, families and staff get more value from the very first tap.