What are the Differences Between Our Patient Engagement System Packages?

We’re the NHS’ most respected provider of WiFi solutions and patient engagement systems. Our range of innovative systems improve patient satisfaction while simultaneously cutting costs for Trusts. In this blog, we outline what SPARK® Media is and how the different packages can benefit the healthcare sector.

SPARK® Media

SPARK® Media represents the future of patient entertainment. In addition to TV, radio and on demand movies, the platform offers a range of other capabilities that are beneficial to patients, visitors and members of staff.  

Patients can watch television, use educational content to learn about their health and even order their meals. It’s an innovative platform that’s a significant improvement on the legacy systems that are currently found in wards throughout the UK.  

These legacy systems were a fantastic addition when they were first introduced, giving each patient more choice over their entertainment. Unfortunately, they haven’t been able to keep up with changes in technology and they’re now outdated, costly and the source of patient and staff complaints.  

Unlike SPARK® Media, they aren’t free to use for patients. They require patients to pay daily charges that have to be paid before patients can access television content. These fees soon add up, especially if someone has a lengthy stay.  

The SPARK® Media platform has a number of packages available, depending on the specific wants and requirements of the organisation: 

SPARK® Media: Entertain

This ultimate media package offers radio, newspapers, magazines, TV, movies and more directly to the patient's own device.

Listening to the hospital radio can alleviate boredom and keep patients entertained during difficult days on the ward. Other entertainment consist of newspaper & magazines, where we have 3 digital print bundles, containing the most popular UK titles. Traditionally, hospital visitors had access to physical newspapers and magazines that they could read to pass the time. The choice available was unpredictable and often, visitors had to make do with newspapers from the week before.  

The lack of recent editions wasn’t the only issue caused by physical copies of newspapers and magazines. They’re a significant contamination risk which is, of course, a major issue in any hospital.  

SPARK® Media eliminates this problem by offering a wide range of newspapers and magazines via the patient’s own devices. Content is updated daily and gives users access to newspapers like The Independent, The Daily Mail and The Guardian.  

Depending on the package that the organisation chooses, users will also be able to choose from magazines like Men’s Health, National Geographic, Marie Claire, Vanity Fair and more. In fact, there are 9,562 worldwide digital print titles to choose from should the organisation require a bespoke bundle. 

For TV, channels 1-5 free of charge and all channels are free in children’s wards.

Additional channels are available - We can provide access to any channel in the world via satellite services and provide access to SKY TV channels, such as SKY Sports, SKY Movies, SKY Atlantic or National Geographic Channel, plus many more.

Movies and eBook content can be bolted-on to this package. Box Office films are the only thing that patients will have to pay a fee for. However, we give a profit share of these box office films back to the hospital or their chosen charity. 

This content is stored directly onsite which saves valuable internet bandwidth and reduces capacity issues. Organisations can choose a package that best suits their needs. For many patients who may begin to feel unhappy during their time in hospital, having access to this content is vital. It can really help to lift their mood, pass the time and boost their overall hospital experience.

SPARK® Media: Engage

SPARK® Media: Engage allows you to enhance the patient experience, to improve bedside care.

Features include: 

• Information & Comms
• Education
• Meal ordering
• Service requests
• Surveys
• Telephony

One of the most important advancements is a meal ordering system. Rather than a member of staff carrying out meal requests by hand, this process can now be done digitally. Patients can choose from a selection of meals and find an option that suits their specific dietary needs.  

In the past, manual meal ordering caused food wastage because there was no way of diverting meals to the right ward once a patient was moved. Plus, if a patient was discharged or unable to eat because of their medical circumstances, then that food was wasted. Completing this process digitally, via our platform can save an average sized hospital around £82,000 a year.  

As well as choosing meals, patients can also make simple requests to staff. Whether it’s a glass of water or an extra pillow, patients are able to request these items without disturbing busy members of the clinical team.  

The system also features a survey platform, where the organisation can collate patient feedback and review for improvement. Bespoke surveys can be developed and analysed, allowing the organisation to make positive changes in the future.  

SPARK® Media: Clinical

A comprehensive suite of solutions to empower patients and enable healthcare professionals to deliver an excellent level of care and education.

SPARK® Media: Clinical can integrate with your clinical solutions using PAS integration and/or HL7 integration, enabling clinicians to show the patient key information about their health journey. Staff can also use it to access the patient’s records and clinical systems. This is available on verified Trust-owned hardware only.

We know how difficult it can be to implement change in healthcare environments, especially if you’re feeling restricted by tight budgets. However, our systems boost patient satisfaction, reduce costs and even open up new areas of revenue for organisations to explore. 

Choosing a Patient Engagement System

For all of the essential information you need about the different platforms and packages we offer, make sure to download our free healthcare pack. It outlines all of the different options for you to choose from and why they’re such an improvement on the current legacy systems you might be used to.