Hospital staff at the Royal Bethlem Hospital will be able to use a private G network
(Picture: Virgin Media O2 Business)A South London mental health hospital will become the first in the UK to trial the use of a private 5G network to improve its services.
The South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust will test the benefits of a number of digital innovations including artificial intelligence, augmented reality (AR) and the Internet of Things (IoT).
The trials went live on Thursday morning at the Bethlem Royal Hospital in Beckenham, the oldest psychiatric hospital in the world which doubles as an important research centre.
As part of the trial, hospital staff will have access to Remote Expert – an AR-connected headset built by Virgin Media O2 Business. This will allow experts in another location to guide on-site workers in completing complex tasks.
Clinicians will also have access to the eObs app, enabling the use of handheld devices to update patient records digitally and make live observations.
New IoT technology will also allow staff to monitor medicine fridges to ensure drugs are stored at the optimum temperature – helping to reduce expensive waste.
Clinicians will be able to track the air quality inside wards and monitor the occupancy of desks and meeting rooms within the hospital.
Using artificial intelligence technology, staff will be able to understand the movement of people throughout the hospital by analysing footage from CCTV cameras. This means the hospital can get a better picture of queues, waiting times and busy hotspots at particular times.
The rollout of 5G networks in the UK is expected to bring considerable benefits to healthcare services as the NHS grapples with a backlog caused by the Covid pandemic. It is hoped that smart systems could help improve operational efficiency within hospitals and reduce staff burnout.
The trial is a partnership between South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, NHS Digital, Virgin Media O2 Business, Bruhati and Nokia.
Stuart MacLellan, Acting Chief Information Officer at South London and Maudsley Foundation Trust said: “Exploring and using the latest technology supports our core strategic aim to deliver outstanding mental health care for people who use our services, their carers and families.
“We are proud to be partnering with Virgin Media O2 Business to create the UK’s first 5G-connected hospital, which enables us to use digital innovations to improve patient outcomes. This is a very exciting step forward.”
Mike Smith, Large Enterprise & Public Sector Director at Virgin Media O2 Business said: “The NHS has been a cornerstone of British society for nearly 75 years, and today, we’re proud to announce the switch-on of the UK’s first 5G-connected hospital – showing how next-generation technology can help create a smarter, modern healthcare service for everyone.
“Our aim is to map out the rollout of wireless and smart hospital connectivity across the NHS estate over the next three to five years. Trials like this are the embodiment of our mission to upgrade the UK, and a clear sign of the role we can play in helping to shape the NHS of the future.”
