A Lesson in Light of the NHS Bed Blocking Crisis
Leveraging the power of SPARK Fusion® at Jeroen Bosch Hospital
SPARK Fusion® is the latest state-of-the-art digital transformation solution taking over the UK. But, one of its biggest success stories originates in the Netherlands.
Jeroen Bosch Hospital was (and still is) the beneficiary of SPARK Fusion® and its vast array of benefits for patients and staff alike.
Below is a comprehensive case study of their challenges, how they’ve been solved and, more importantly, what the UK — specifically the NHS — can learn from it all.
About Jeroen Bosch Hospital
Organisation Type
Dutch Hospital
Size of Operation
600 iPads
Client Since
- 2021
Product Suites
- SPARK Fusion®
- Linked to Patient file (HIX)
- Meal ordering
- Video calling
- Complete management
- Rehabilitation information
What makes them stand out?
Work together with family, friends, the patient, GP, local government and care homes to provide the best complete care tailored to the individual.
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They have a goal that by 2025, people from Den Bosch and the surrounding area will give their health well-being the highest rating in the Netherlands.
They have a negative impact on the environment with -7% electricity consumption and -6% water consumption. 50% of employees also regularly come in by bike amongst many other sustainable practices.
Goals
- Give patients more control of their health journey and stay.
- Encourage patients to be more mobile.
- Ensure compliance with privacy regulations and protect patient information.
- Provide remote healthcare to free up staff.
- Have the highest rating in the Netherlands for health wellbeing by 2025.
We see that the iPad makes the patient much more mobile, which promotes a good recovery.
Letty van den Aker, Head of Unit Guest Service
Watch the video to learn how Jeroen Bosch Hospital uses iPads for patients (English subtitles can be turned on).
Key features of SPARK Fusion®
The broader driving forces behind this choice of implementation were:
- To encourage mobility and activity for patients during recovery.
- To free up overworked frontline staff.
- To avoid additional strain on internal IT staff.
Integrated with HL7, nurse calls and meal ordering, SPARK Fusion® reduces bed blocking and readmission rates while entertaining and educating patients at every stage of their healthcare journey.
We encourage patients to get out of bed when possible and be more mobile. SPARK Fusion® allows them to watch TV anywhere, play games with other patients and use our services.
Letty van den Aker
Head of Unit Guest Service
Feature highlights
Meal ordering
Many hospitals are moving away from set meal schedules. To accommodate this for Jeroen Bosch, SPARK Fusion® integrates an app that lets patients order food anytime using an iPad. This system offers more flexibility so patients can eat when they're hungry, not by the clock. The kitchen also benefits by avoiding overwhelming surges of orders at peak times. Plus, patients can browse menus and place orders with a touch of a button.
Secure video calling
Keeping in touch with family and friends while in hospital is vital for patients. The support and company they provide is invaluable. SPARK Fusion® supports an app that provides a secure connection and sends a one-time link for family members at home to click. They’ll then be connected to the patient’s iPad and a video call will start.
Safety
Privacy and security are paramount in healthcare settings. SPARK Fusion® has a self-securing framework that adds additional layers of security to the app. This is transparent to the user and prevents any unauthorised login sessions.
The results
Jeroen Bosch Hospital's adoption of SPARK Fusion®'s iPad solution has been a resounding success in empowering patients, increasing mobility, maintaining privacy compliance and enabling remote healthcare delivery.The iPads have given patients unprecedented control over their stay, from ordering meals to accessing medical information. The mobility afforded has encouraged crucial activity during recovery while secure video calling has fostered vital social connections.
Staff have also expressed how the system has simplified their jobs and reduced pressure while positively impacting patient satisfaction and experiences.
With the service and 24/7 support wrapper, iPads are also monitored and tracked if they’re taken from the hospital and can be remotely erased if they fall into the wrong hands. This is one less thing for hospital IT staff to worry about and provides reassurance that patient data will be protected.
Overall, the solution delivered a personalised, empowering experience, positioning the hospital to achieve top wellbeing ratings by prioritising optimal patient health and satisfaction.
The NHS bed blocking crisis: What can the UK learn from Jeroen Bosch?
Bed occupancy is already a huge pressure for the NHS, especially during winter. In the week ending 15 January 2023, more than 19 in 20 beds were occupied across adult general and acute hospital wards (95.7%).
This is primarily caused by poor discharge systems, lack of ongoing destination for care and longer treatment cycles due to low patient wellbeing.
As demonstrated in the case of Jeroen Bosch Hospital, SPARK Fusion® alleviates many of the challenges associated with bed blocking — making it a highly impactful solution for the NHS frontline as we move into the winter.
For a more comprehensive overview of the challenges ahead and how SPARK Fusion® can help, download our in-depth guide on winter pressures.
Here you can explore the many ways in which the solution can positively influence patients and staff, just like it’s doing at Jeroen Bosh, while easing the pressures that winter will undoubtedly bring on healthcare in the UK.
