05 Jul 2022

VM02 connects UK's first 5G hospital

Virgin Media O2 Business has switched on the UK’s first 5G-connected hospital having announced it has built a private network at Bethlem Royal Hospital in south London.

VM02 has teamed up with South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM), NHS Digital, Bruhati and Nokia to host a series of digital health trials spanning areas including Internet of Things (IoT), augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI).

Pilots at the Bethlem Royal Hospital will investigate the efficiency, safety and security of using 5G technologies to improve care, drive efficiency and reduce waste.

Stuart MacLellan, acting CIO at SLaM, 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.”

According to VM02, 5G-connected observations (eObs) will allow clinicians to update patient records digitally and make live observations, using a private cellular network that offers greater reliability and security than Wi-Fi. The NHS Trust claimed that if successful, the trial will help support patient rounds taking less time and collecting more accurate data.