NHS Customers Enhance User Experience with Tailored WiFi Portals

SPARK® Connect is our WiFi solution that enables NHS hospitals and organisations to connect their guests to the world through an engaging and fully branded portal.

The user experience (UX) is unique to each customer and only accessible when users are on-site.

When patients step into a hospital or healthcare facility, they often experience anxiousness and uncertainty. By offering a customised WiFi portal, our NHS Trusts are alleviating these concerns and creating a welcoming and patient-centric environment.

With the SPARK® Connect platform, patients can easily connect to the hospital's WiFi network and access a range of engagement services right from their mobile or Trust's devices.

In this blog, we explore how two of our SPARK® Connect WiFi customers, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, have leveraged their WiFi portals to enhance the user experience for their patients, staff, and visitors.

Seamless Login at London North West Hospital

London North West faced the challenge of managing two separate WiFi networks (SSIDs), one for patients and one for staff. While this divide was necessary to cater to different requirements, it led to wireless congestion and complexity for end-users, something that all of our customers aim to avoid in such a fast-paced environment.

However, London North West was able to overcome this challenge with SPARK® and its unique feature, the SPARK® Gateway – a scalable, wireless or wired access point to suit large enterprise WiFi deployments.

By combining both SSIDs into a single WiFi network, patients, visitors, and staff can connect to the WiFi using the same login credentials, eliminating the need for multiple networks and login processes. As technology evolves, having a single login portal makes it easier to integrate new services, devices, and technologies into the hospital’s network.

Trusts can customise the guest-WiFi login portal with their logos, branding and messaging. This provides an opportunity to communicate important information they want to convey, promote hospital services, or even raise awareness about charities or health and wellness initiatives all in one place for their users to see once connected.

The implementation of a single SSID enabled London North West to embrace the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) solution, where patients and visitors can enjoy free services via SPARK® Media from the device of their choice.

SPARK® Media is a fully integrated patient experience and engagement platform that’s free for the user and designed with patient satisfaction and staff efficiencies in mind, accessible via the web browser.

The features on London North West’s SPARK® Media platform include catch-up TV, Sudoku, hospital radio, charity links, NHS services, and BBC Music Memories, complete with 24/7/365 help and support from SPARK® TSL’s Service Desk, as shown on the image above. 

The platform creates a smooth and seamless journey all-round for users once logged on to the hospital WiFi. They’re either directed to the SPARK® Media entertainment and engagement platform, or they can type www.wifitv.co.uk into the search bar and be taken straight there.

Returning devices, particularly staff members, are recognised and authenticated each day, which eliminates the need for repetitive logins and is similar to how they would connect to a corporate or home network.

This unique feature of the SPARK® Gateway has simplified and improved the WiFi experience for all users at London North West.

Connecting Care and Compassion at Bristol and Weston

SPARK® TSL's innovative technology and patient engagement solution allowed Bristol and Weston to offer fast and secure WiFi connectivity to their patients and visitors, equally to London North West.

The Trust’s forward-thinking approach aimed to use their SPARK® Connect solution to implement a sense of community and support through Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity.

Recognising the potential of SPARK® Media, Bristol and Weston decided to incorporate dedicated charity links onto their WiFi login portal and Media platform.

This page serves as a digital hub, allowing patients and visitors to interact and engage with the charity whilst in hospital, leading to increased awareness and potential donations. SPARK® has the ability to help and support any Trust involved with a charity by deploying a range of tailored services, such as links to newsletters, website pages, how to donate, upcoming fundraising activities, and more.

Patients and visitors are encouraged to sign up to regular updates using their email address, enabling the hospital's analytics to track engagement levels, as Bristol and Weston value the importance of data collection.

Since working with SPARK®, the Trust sees almost an incredible 2,500 email sign-ups a month.

By knowing who is interested in charity news and events, the Trust can tailor their communications and offerings to match the preferences and interests of their audience.

This personalised method not only keeps users informed, but also inspires them to contribute, both financially and by spreading the word, about the incredible things that Bristol and Weston are doing in the local area.

Unleash the Power of SPARK® Connect and Boost Patient Engagement

SPARK® Connect aids in providing opportunities for hospitals to enhance their services, communication efforts, and simplifying the connectivity process. This collaborative effort with our NHS customers creates a greater impact on patient-centric care and overall experience.

Contact us below to learn more about the endless possibilities with SPARK®