No more pins: digital signage in Birmingham

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust has deployed one of the UK’s largest digital signage networks.

The Connectvision system from Saturn Communications Group will deliver visitor and internal information to 75 digital LCD screens and more than 5,000 desktop PCs.

The trust says that on any one day, 10,000 patients, visitors and staff can be in its two hospitals in south Birmingham – and looking for information on notice boards that can be crowded and out of date.

The digital signage will provide timely, consistent and accurate messaging that can also be targeted for different audiences in different places and at different times of day.

Stephen Chilton, deputy director of IT at the trust, said it chose the Connectvision system because it could display information as a screensaver, “preserving our existing security and energy management initiatives.”

“The screensaver means we can use our existing PC network infrastructure to reach all staff including consultants, nurses and allied health workers, who work various shifts 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in areas where access and the ability to absorb information may be difficult,” he said.

The messages are pushed out using a communication channel that the trust is calling Invision. A number of campaigns are planned, including regular reminders to patients, visitors and staff to wash their hands and take other infection control measures.

Connectvision can be used with any Microsoft PC network. It can support information in a wide range of image formats and “live” feeds from the internet, an intranet, or IP TV channels. Different screens can be sent different messages.

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust is also planning to use its system for an energy saving campaign, hospital news, health and safety alerts, team specific information, and weather and travel advisories.

Link: Connectvision