About University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust
Organisation type
- Hospital
Size of operation
- Approx. 1,400 beds
- 11,500 members of staff
Client Service
- Hospedia
- WiFi - 2014
- Patient Entertainment – 2021
- Trust paid TV on Bedside Units - 2022
Product suites
Free WiFi
SPARK® Media
- Free TV and Radio
-
Free Digital Newspapers and Magazines
-
Links to UHNM Charity, dementia and healthcare services
-
Accessibility on patients own device
- Free TV (Trust Paid) & Radio
- Movies
- Free outbound calls
- SKY Sports
- Accessibility for those who don’t have their own device
What makes University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust brilliant?
March 2021 saw University Hospitals North Midlands NHS Foundation Trust awarded the Driving Efficiency Through Technology at this year's HSJ Awards. The award celebrates UHNM's outstanding contribution to healthcare through its Smart project.
UHNM's divisional surgery team have been recognised for their dedication and determination. Staff volunteered to work evenings and weekend and were presented with the Chief Executive's Award in recognition of their work.
The Trust is one of the first NHS organisations in the UK to make free WiFi available in its hospitals, on the basis that it enables patients to stay in touch with their family and friends and improves the way it interacts with patients.
Goals
- To provide free TV/patient entertainment for everyone at all times.
- Accessible information on the patient’s own devices.
- Be available to patients, visitors and staff.
- Be accessible in every area of the hospital.
- Increase exposure to the charity and encourage donations.
- Offer a solution to build on over time.
- Work in collaboration with the Trust and Charity to evolve the platform, enhancing clinical and engagement features.
- Provide an entertainment, engagement and communication system available for those with or without their own device.
However, not all hospital beds have a Bedside Unit and some patients prefer to use their own device where they can access more than the limited 20 year old legacy Bedside Units can provide. patients are able to access the following services directly from their own device through SPARK® Media:
- Free TV and Radio (including hospital radio) with 35 channels
- TV Guide to see what’s on, what’s coming and set reminders
- Newspapers and magazines
- Catch up TV & on Demand
- Links to:
- UHNM Charity
- Educational health videos
- Hospital information
- BBC Music Memories for Dementia
- BBC Reminiscence
- NHS Give Blood
- NHS Health A-Z
- NHS Medicines A-Z
SPARK® Media is available once the patient has signed in to the WiFi. After registration, the patient is welcomed by a page specifically designed for the UHNM Charity which promotes the charity’s work and encourages donations. The user can close this and will then be taken to a URL where SPARK® Media and all the above content is location, which is a personalised link for the Trust.
From their own device patients are able to keep in touch with friends and family, educate and entertain themselves for free.
The UHNM Charity is really pleased to be able to support this initiative. It's massive for us as it means our patients, their relatives, our visitors and staff all have free access to an entertainment platform on any device. As it's free and easy to use - it's accessible to everybody. This is a really incredible opportunity for everyone to get involved.
Lisa Thompson, Director of Communications and UHNM Charity University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust
