Enhancing Resident Care During COVID-19 Through Cutting-Edge Technology and Strategic Partnerships
In December 2020, amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, NHSX, the digital arm of the UK National Health Service (NHS), initiated a “Free Connected iPads for Care Homes” project. This project was put in motion to support digital transformation within care homes to support medical staff, improve resident engagement, and ensure connectivity for resident communication.
During the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHS offered care homes the opportunity to apply for free connected iPads, aiming to:
o Provide care home staff with secure access to patient medical records. o Make use of wellbeing and medical apps for resident engagement.
o Enable video connectivity for residents to speak with loved ones.
o Facilitate video consultations between practitioners and medical care providers.
To alleviate challenges around Wi-Fi stability throughout care home buildings, each iPad was delivered with a data-enabled SIFT SIM card so that the care homes were able to use the devices even without access to a stable Wi-Fi connection.
“Working with Digital Inc. has been an absolute game-changer for us. The SIFT connectivity services not only ensured secure and stable connections for our care homes but also provided the compliance and monitoring capabilities we needed. The deployment was seamless, and the support from Digital Inc. has been exceptional. This project has significantly enhanced our ability to deliver high-quality care during these challenging times.“
NHS Commercial Purchase Team Member
Due to the sensitive nature of the data passing through the iPads, the cellular connectivity requirements were many and required special attention to general data management, connectivity reliability, and adherences to the strictest security and regulatory compliance processes. Mobile device management software for troubleshooting and security was also included with each iPad. Partnering with Digital Inc., NHS implemented SIFT Connectivity services to achieve connectivity efficiencies, full regulatory compliance, and enhanced data security.
The secure SIFT Connectivity products, designed initially for the public sector, offer full regulatory compliance and enhance efficiency across mobile estates, reducing costs, data theft, and operational risks.
The SIFT platform’s ability to measure, monitor, and report on data usage & content transferred for all cellular connections was crucial for achieving Key Performance Metrics (KPIs) and delivering analytical data reports. These reports highlighted the performance and efficiency of the connectivity infrastructure, enabling NHS to mitigate risks, create greater efficiency, and reduce operational costs. Specifically, the SIFT Connectivity ensured a range of criteria was met including:
o Strongest Signal Availability: Utilising LTE/4G to consistently connect with the strongest signal within the care come.
o Highest Reliability: Guaranteeing stable connections with 99.9% uptime, ensuring continuous operation, essential for staff with time pressures.
o Secure and Compliant Connections: Using a private and secure Access Point Name APN to meet strict UK data security laws and regulations.
o Comprehensive Data Management: Monitoring, measuring, and sifting all data traffic to safeguard against cyber threats and illicit content.
o Regulatory Adherence: Ensuring full compliance with regulations, including the Prevent Duty (Section 26 of the Counter Terror Act 2015) and the Care Act 2014.
o Cybersecurity Protection: Offers robust defence against cyber threats across all connected mobile devices. o Efficient Data Usage: Aggregating data to maximise usage, preventing overspend and ensuring optimal performance.
o Seamless Contract Migration: Facilitates easy migration of contracts to individual care homes or local authorities after the initial term.
o Around-the-Clock Support: Providing 24/7/365 support across various priority levels to address any connectivity issues promptly.
To make things easy at the point of installation, Digital Inc. delivered a pre-configured deployment for over 11,000 SIMs for the iPads. The SIMs were tailored to meet the specific needs of the project, arriving ready for plug-and-play, pre-configured with the correct user profile, activated and ready for immediate use upon delivery and equipped with SIFT technology to provide secure, stable, and compliant connectivity.
A member of the NHS Commercial Purchase Team, shared her experience:
“Working with Digital Inc. has been an absolute game-changer for us. The SIFT connectivity platform not only ensured secure and stable connections for our care homes but also provided the compliance and monitoring capabilities we needed. The deployment was seamless, and the support from Digital Inc. has been exceptional. This project has significantly enhanced our ability to deliver high-quality care during these challenging times.”
The NHS’s partnering with Digital Inc. for the “Free Connected iPads for Care Homes” project demonstrated Digital Inc.’s capability to meet the unique needs of each connected deployment, whether for local authorities, central government departments, or large-scale projects like COVID- 19 Mobile Testing Units. It exemplified how innovative technology solutions such as SIFT can drive efficiency, cost savings, and compliance in healthcare settings.