The private 5G network enabled by Virgin Media O2 will offer dedicated connectivity for mission-critical digital health use cases for clinicians as well as patients
Virgin Media O2 installs private 5G network to connect NHS-funded digital health trials. (Credit: Virgin Media)
Virgin Media O2 has partnered with South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust to turn on what is the first 5G-connected hospital in the UK.
Based in London, the NHS trust specialises in mental health.
According to Virgin Media O2, the switch-on of the 5G-connected hospital is part of a series of digital health and innovation trials to be undertaken by Maudsley Digital Lab and funded by NHS Digital.
The private 5G network will offer dedicated connectivity for mission-critical digital health use cases for clinicians as well as patients.
Virgin Media O2 said that the trials are studying the efficiency, safety, and security benefits of employing smart, 5G-connected technologies in NHS hospitals. The technologies being tested are the Internet of Things (IoT), augmented reality (AR), and artificial intelligence (AI).
South London and Maudsley Foundation Trust acting chief information officer Stuart MacLellan 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.”
The Maudsley Smart Hospital and Maudsley Smart Pharmacy trials are currently live in two wards at Bethlem Royal Hospital in South London.
Some of the benefits of the 5G-connected technologies are connecting smart devices and monitoring to cut down expensive medicine waste and keeping a check on the air quality in hospital wards.
With the 5g network, hospital IT teams will be able to access expert maintenance support in other hospitals by using an AR tool called Remote Expert.
Besides, the NHS trust can also better plan space in public areas with Spatial Insights, which leverages AI to deliver anonymised heat maps of crowd movement analysis with the help of CCTV footage.
The 5G-connected hospital will also test the eObs app, which is designed to track the vital signs of patients, thereby enabling clinicians to use handheld devices for digitally updating patient records and making live observations.
Virgin Media O2’s private 5G network is said to make use of Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) to offer dedicated, high-speed, reliable, and secure data needed by health professionals. This helps them stay connected in real time to the online e-observations platform without the need for the WiFi network of the hospital.
Virgin Media O2 Business large enterprise and public sector director Mike Smith 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.”