University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) was formed on the 1st of April 2020 following the merger of University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and Weston Area Health NHS Trust.

The UHBW specialist teaching Trust runs ten hospitals across the campus including a number of research facilities and is seen as a beacon for outstanding education, research, and innovation.

About University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust

Organisation Type

Hospital

Size of Operation

1,363 beds across the Trust

Client Since

2021

Product Suites

SPARK Connect®
SPARK Fusion® Web
SPARK Unite
24/7/365 Service Desk

What makes UHBW NHS Foundation Trust Brilliant?

The Trust has launched a new service alongside The Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust to tackle age inequality in ovarian cancer outcomes.

The Trust has laid out a vision prioritising a sustainable future and will work with the local communities to achieve it.

Bristol & Weston Hospital Charity work with the Trust to tailor and focus funding and improvements so that everyone has the best possible experience for their individual needs.

Goals

Deliver a unified patient engagement solution
Ensure the solution was up and running quickly
Bring a solution that is able to grow with time, responding to changing needs, evidential usage data, and goals
Allow the Trust to offer entertainment, education, and engagement opportunities to staff, patients, and visitors
Provide responsive and far-reaching WiFi
Support staff, patients, and visitors with a round-the-clock customer service and maintenance team

Our Solution

Following the merger of two Trusts to become University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, the unified team required a WiFi and patient engagement solution that was up-to-date and responsive to cater to the large number of staff and visitors to the Trust each day.

With Bristol’s existing WiFi contract coming to an end abruptly, there was a dire need for a new solution to be deployed quickly. Working with SPARK TSL, the Trust established a new leased line that allowed for a high-quality WiFi provision to be deployed. Once this superior connection had been guaranteed, SPARK TSL engineers were able to connect the Weston Super Mare site over 23 miles away to ensure a unified connection, with a new and improved WiFi provision.

Having over 2,000 access points across the two sites, WiFi users are guaranteed a reliable connection no matter their location.

With any SPARK TSL WiFi solution, the deployment came with an NHS branded portal to greet users upon their connection, reliable content filtering, user analytics that can be fed directly back to the Trust, and the free patient engagement platform, SPARK Fusion® Web.

SPARK Fusion® Web is accessible to anyone connected to the WiFi and allows users to access a variety of links on one easy to navigate dashboard. The accessible links include NHS health advice, Trust information, dementia aids, and 3 Hospital radio links, which will be a lifeline to the Hospital population. Plus entertainment such as puzzle games and catch up TV to aid concentration and engagement.

The platform has allowed users to easily listen to the 3 beloved radio stations that run across the Trust and has raised the awareness of the Trust’s charity by proudly displaying banner advertisements and delivering information about activities.

The entire solution is supported 24/7/365 by SPARK TSL’s UK-based Service Desk. The team is accessible via phone, email and live chat any time of day to ease any technical pressures on staff.

SPARK Fusion® Web - Entertainment at your fingertips

SPARK Fusion® Web, the patient engagement platform accompanying the WiFi provision, welcomes nearly 330,000 visits annually from users connecting via their own devices.

Each of those visits is met with Trust charity branding. A banner sits at the bottom of the patient engagement portal, proudly advertising the charity’s logo and information. When clicked, visitors can donate, learn about activities, and find volunteering opportunities.

With SPARK TSL offering digital print, video calling, and more comprehensive games and TV packages, the Trust can explore these further whilst looking at live usage data.

The most popular entertainment links engaged with via the service

The most popular entertainment links engaged with via the service are on-demand TV sites such as BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, Netflix, and Disney+. But following close behind is the game Sudoku which has been enjoyed across the year so far.

The NHS’ health and care videos have also been enjoyed by many users showing a desire from patients to play an active role in their health journeys.

Insights such as these helps inform the Trust into which service would benefit from further investment.

Challenges Solved

Upon the merger of the two respective Trusts to become University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, the new team wanted a unified patient experience solution that prioritised engagement and gave the Trust the opportunity to grow.

Working quickly to deploy the beginnings of the solution in 2021, SPARK TSL was able to provide the unity desired.

A Smarter Connection for All: The Dual-Portal WiFi Upgrade

In a major step towards improving digital inclusion and user experience, the Trust in collaboration with Bristol and Weston Hospitals Charity, have launched a dual-portal WiFi solution designed to better serve the distinct needs of patients, visitors, and staff - all through a single, seamless SSID.

Previously, all users - whether hospital staff, patients, or visitors - accessed the hospital’s WiFi through a shared entry point. While this provided basic internet connectivity, it lacked the flexibility to deliver targeted experiences and content relevant to different user groups. The Trust recognised an opportunity to elevate its digital infrastructure to better support both operational efficiency and patient engagement.

Working closely with SPARK TSL, the Trust rolled out a new dual-portal system - a powerful upgrade that keeps things simple on the surface but smart under the hood.

One WiFi Name, Two Unique Journeys

Patients, visitors, and staff all connect via the same WiFi name (SSID), ensuring minimal disruption and no extra setup. But from the moment they log in, their experiences diverge, with content tailored specifically to their role.

Tailored Portal for Patients and Visitors

Patients and visitors are greeted with a branded, easy-to-navigate portal featuring:

Marketing subscription tick-box to stay up to date with the latest news and events
Charity banner with a quick link to donate
Helpful information about services and facilities – once connected

This approach not only provides value-added content but also opens new avenues for charitable engagement and awareness.

Effortless experience for Staff

Hospital staff benefit from a frictionless connection process. Their devices can be recognised automatically upon return, streamlining access without repeated logins. This saves valuable time and ensures uninterrupted connectivity across shifts and locations.

The impact

Improved Patient Experience: The new portal adds a sense of welcome and community to patients' online experience, offering them relevant content and easy access to hospital updates and the internet.

Boosted Charity Engagement: With dedicated banners and prominent calls-to-action, the charity has seen increased visibility, and donations, from engaged visitors and patients.

Operational Efficiency: Staff no longer face repetitive log-in processes, allowing them to focus more on care and less on tech troubles.

Simplicity with Scalability: Despite its sophistication, the solution was implemented with minimal disruption. Using a single SSID means no need for multiple network configurations - it’s future-proofed, scalable, and smart.

The Future

With the goal of deploying a new patient engagement solution to unify the Trust’s strategy, there were time pressures that staggered the deployment of a comprehensive solution.

The benefit of this is that both SPARK TSL and the Trust are able to see what services users respond best to and tailor the solution completely to meet their needs.

Electronic Meal Ordering and Electronic Survey modules are a possibility for the future and can be added to the Trust’s engagement solution via SPARK® Fusion bedside tablets. Both will benefit the Trust by saving money and valuable time, by freeing up staff members and creating a great return on investment.