How is the NHS' favourite patient engagement platform performing? A look back at April 2022

As another month passes by, we continue to evaluate the overall performance of the much-loved patient engagement platform, SPARK® Media, utilised by patients, visitors, and staff across the NHS.

Based on the data, we’re able to provide feedback to respective Trusts, giving them an insight as to what services are performing best, and to see what further benefits can be added to the platform in the future.

Let’s take a look back on the month of April and how SPARK® Media users spent their time.

The figures

April saw a total of 761,108 users visit the platform, with 2,795 of those users tuning in to watch their favourite live TV shows, with BBC One, Two, ITV, Five and Film4 being the highest rated channels. There was also a 23% rise in radio listeners compared to March, the most popular station being Radio 2.

Our Games platform continues to take pole position ever so slightly as it sees a 37% of total interaction, coming in at 3,165 users for the month. The popular brain stimulation game, Sudoku, remarkably comes out on top again for the third month in a row of 2022, which could indicate that adults are engaging with the platform a lot more than the younger audience. Mentally stimulating activities can have lasting benefits to the brain and helps improve memory which ultimately, reduces the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s.

As expected, On Demand sessions are continuing to rise and sees a 26% of total usage, coming in at 2,231. Users have the ability to access their favourite apps for free at their fingertips, with BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, Netflix & Disney+ being the most used sites. Freeview channels can also be streamed to user's devices along with a comprehensive TV guide to ensure an unplanned hospital visit does not mean they have to miss their favourite soap or football match.

We can see that 680 clicks overall were made on charity donation banners within the SPARK® Media platform. In theory, if each of those users donated £10, this would result to almost £7,000 being raised for a range of NHS charities. Kingston Hospital, Guy’s and St Thomas’ and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board saw the highest level of interaction rates with their charity content. This feature opens up a door to new opportunities and abilities to increase charity awareness, which can also be measured through the platform using data analysis.

Trust insights

In April, 39,072 users visited and spent time interacting with the SPARK® Media Platform at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. We are delighted to be providing an innovative WiFi solution to the Trust- giving patients, staff, and visitors the opportunity to access information, charity links and entertainment such as magazines, games, and the Internet, complete with 24/7/365 support.

Looking deeper into the data, some of the popular entertainment links used within the Trust such as the newspaper, Metro.co.uk, and a colouring app called Color Mandala, suggests that whilst users are spending their time in hospital, they would prefer to occupy their minds with resources that are more calming and educational.

43% of users in April were accessing Health and Care videos through the MyCare Page. This implies that - most likely patients - are seeking a better insight or understanding as to what their particular health matter might be, and looking for a diagnosis based on symptoms, or advice on treatment, for peace of mind before or after speaking to a healthcare professional.

Our patient engagement platform, SPARK® Media, is continuing to evolve in conjunction with the demands and changing needs of the NHS, so we’ve made it our mission to ensure that the platform works for more than just patients.

Click below to take a look around our new and dedicated website page for SPARK® Media, and see just what it can offer patients, visitors and staff in your Trust or organisation.