Ambulance services to benefit from funding for wireless innovations

Trials of new wireless technologies to help improve patient care and strengthen connectivity in A&Es and ambulance bays are set to launch across seven NHS trusts, following new £1m of new funding from NHS England.

North West Ambulance Service and East of England Ambulance Service trusts will roll out improved wireless connections in A&E and ambulance areas, speeding up the transfer of essential patient care data from ambulances to hospitals.

The £1 million pot has been awarded to seven trusts as part of NHS England’s Wireless Trials programme, which seeks to make the most of cutting-edge wireless technologies to provide the best care and experiences for patients, while freeing up more staff time to spend with their patients.

As part of the trial, services receive advice and guidance from NHS England, and the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded organisations. NHS England will also capture best practice from successful trialists and share this across the wider NHS.

Other beneficiaries include Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. It will trial an innovative approach of combining satellite and cloud-based wireless solutions to enhance connectivity across their 10 hospital sites and wider community services.

Mid Cheshire and Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS trusts will use the funding to install wireless trackers on medical equipment and hospital beds, which allow real-time monitoring and location tracking so that staff can easily find what they need, when they need it

“We’ll be monitoring the outcomes of the trials and are very hopeful that a number of these will be able to be scaled more broadly across the health and social care system saving clinical time, improving patient care and saving money for the system.”

Stephen Koch, Executive Director of Platforms, NHS England.

The Wireless Trials programme aims to provide NHS organisations with the capability they need to deliver the challenging digital ambitions set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.

Applications for the next series of wireless trials will open later this year. More details are available on the Connectivity Hub