The Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital (RMCH) is the largest children’s hospital in the UK, treating an estimated 200,000 patients a year across 371 paediatric beds and 60 neonatal cots.
Located within Manchester’s Oxford Road Campus of hospitals, the facility is Internationally recognised as a leader in childhood cancer, child & adolescent mental health, endocrinology, inherited metabolic disease, and nephrology.
As part of the hospital’s ‘Our commitment to you’ ethos, RMCH commits to providing high quality, inclusive care, that is safe, effective, and focussed on the patient’s needs.
With this in mind, Airwave, and partner WiFi Spark, collaborated in the provision of a BYOD technology system, implemented within two recently refurbished wards.
In line with the UK’s proliferation of smart devices, and rapid growth of streaming services (such as BBC iPlayer, YouTube & Netflix), RMCH were keen to offer a vehicle for patients to use their own devices to access content.
This not only reduces the requirement for in-ward hardware, such as TV displays, TV arms, remote control holders etc, but offers the patient additional flexibility, and a more modern entertainment experience.
The Spark Media entertainment platform, delivers TV, radio and a portfolio of services, via a branded interface, to any WiFi enabled device.
The platform offers a multitude of features, ranging from the delivery of TV & radio services (via an IPTV network), to video calling and PAS / HL7 integration. A hospital can upgrade (or downgrade) the feature list as and when required. This not only provides operational agility and flexibility, but future-proofs the technology.
RMCH opted for a TV & radio service package, delivering 35 channels to each smart device. The service runs on the Trust’s WiFi, and also provides a branded user portal, a browser, and direct links to the Manchester Foundation Trust’s charity website.
In accordance with the hospital’s equality, diversity and inclusion commitment, Airwave provided 6 x Samsung SM-T500 tablets, pre-loaded with Spark Media and available for any patient that arrives without a smart device.
We’re delighted to have collaborated with WiFi spark in the installation of this fantastic entertainment platform, and look forward to rolling it out to the rest of the hospital, as and when required.”
