Based in the heart of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides integrated healthcare services, including mental health, intellectual disability and physical health services. Over 9000 dedicated staff provide these services in a variety of settings, ranging from the community through to acute wards, as well as secure settings. The Trust manages two medium secure units, Arnold Lodge in Leicester and Wathwood Hospital in Rotherham, and the high secure Rampton Hospital near Retford.
Like so many other NHS Foundation Trusts, Nottingham Healthcare had already been exploring the solutions that digital could provide when the COVID-19 Pandemic hit. They began researching into video conferencing pods because they knew that there would be time savings, space efficiencies and productivity to be gained from moving towards a more digital approach, but there were also several concerns to overcome. Clinicians at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS FT were often having four to six hour sessions, and so user comfort; including ergonomics, lighting, good control over their ventilation etc was paramount. Visual and acoustic privacy was also very important to protect the patients privacy and provide a seamless experience. Further enhancing the experience, it was necessary to ensure the correct IT set up of power, microphones, cameras and screens.
Alongside this growing need, their Adult Mental Health department was undergoing a large transformation programme, with over 800 new staff members joining in the next 3 years, in addition to the reopening of three buildings that had been closed. Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS FT recognised that Virtual Consultations could be a huge enabler for mental health, with 1 in 3 patient appointments being face-to-face whilst the rest could be handled over a video consultation.
After a lot of research, the Property and Space Utilisation team at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS FT reached out Spacestor Healthcare to trial one of our solutions. Talking over the challenges of clinician space, digital connectivity and patient access to the unique services they provide, it became clear that the Consult Plus would be the best solution. The Consult Plus has been crafted to provide the ultimate video conferencing experience, for users both end of the call. The large internal dimensions allow for a task chair to be used, ensuring good ergonomics and comfort for the clinician. User-adjustable ventilation and lighting as well as desk and monitor height, means the internal of the pod can be customized and changed to perfectly suit the user.
Bias lighting also creates a good experience for the patient on the call, as the consultant can be easily seen without shadows on their face, and being set at a good distance from the camera. With the door 90 degrees around from the camera and screen, and with additional film on the door, patients can feel confident that their privacy is being respected and upheld.
Comments