WiFi SPARK is Returning to North West Connect This September

As this September’s North West Connect event, being held in Blackpool’s Grand Hotel on the 16th and 17th, edges ever closer, we thought we’d take a look back at 2019’s conference in anticipation.  

Back in 2019 when in-person events were the norm, we travelled up to Blackpool for the Skills Development Network’s North West Connect Conference. Bringing together healthcare professionals from across the North West and health tech providers from across the country, the two-day event focused on ‘reimagining care through digital.’ Talks and panel discussions solidified the sector’s zeitgeist of humanising and personalising care whilst using digital as a leading tool to excel the NHS’ offering.  

With the aim of contributing to the discussion and showcasing a solution to digitally transform the patient experience, we brought SPARK® Media to the conference. Still in its early days of deployment, SPARK® Media offered a new way for patients to enjoy entertainment whilst in hospital. Revolutionising patient entertainment by allowing access through the NHS’ on-site guest access WiFi, the hospital could give their patients, staff and visitors unlimited access to television, radio, digitised newspapers and magazines and a variety of Trust-related links such as charity information.  

Our Northern Healthcare Sales Representative, Martyn Gibson, was joined by our Product Manager Steven Killick at the event and were overwhelmed by the interest and support for the solution. But one friendship was built that stood out amongst the rest.  

In 2019 Martyn and Steven met some of the team from The Christie NHS Foundation Trust. Since the event, WiFi SPARK has gone on to install a tailored SPARK® Media solution at The Christie that built upon a premium guest access WiFi provision, ensuring security, reliability and speed. Utilising the unrivalled entertainment options available straight to patient smartphones, WiFi SPARK also delivered a unique video calling solution, SPARK® Media: Unite, that allowed patients, visitors and staff to video call friends and family without the need to establish an account.  

With the 2019 conference's goals of reimagining care through digital, WiFi SPARK was able to reimagine the patient experience at The Christie. 

Between the last conference and the one to come in just a few week’s time, a lot has changed in the healthcare sector. The pandemic has exasperated the need to adopt technology to make care provision, patient experience and organisation easier to handle. But with the new challenges have come new innovations. SPARK® Media has grown its offering to better cater to the changing needs of the NHS. Additions such as a games library, digital meal ordering and access to a variety of NHS care links mean that it has more to offer than ever before.  

If you’re yet to reserve your place at this month’s North West Connect conference you have until the 8th of September. By filling out the form via the link below you’ll register your place.  

Steven and Martyn are excited to get back to Blackpool and hope to see you there.