Sheffield Children’s Hospital provides free VoIP/IPTV

Sheffield Children’s Hospital is providing its patients with free VoIP calls, satellite, freeview, and internet access, through a pilot project to test custom ‘bedhead’ systems.

The pilot is part of a government initiative to provide free communications technology to children in hospital.

Many providers of hospital communications technology provide the services free of capital costs, but charge patients to use their services.

Sheffield Children’s Hospital, however, decided against contracting a supplier. It chose to provide the services in-house, in line with NHS guidelines, in partnership with technology infrastructure specialist ANS Group.

An initial pilot scheme, launched in October 2007, proved successful, and a full-scale implementation of the service is now underway.

The phone, web and TV bedside service can be managed as part of the hospital’s internal IT and telecoms infrastructure and used by both the children and the staff.

ANS Group installed 25 ‘bedhead’ custom phone, internet and TV service units adapted to link directly to the hospital’s existing IP and analogue telephone network.

The system will be extended with another 100 units.