Wifi / Internet Access 3

Issues:

• No internet connection in the NHS Trust for non-networked devices
• SLTs are taking devices home to program/update
• Not enough bandwith on Guest Wifi

Possible solutions:

• Explore whether it is possible to use the service’s Guest Wifi (designed for patient & visitor access). In some healthcare settings this is provided by hotel services although in most it is provided by the IT department.
• Obtain charitable funding for WiFi connection (see “Find Funding” for a list of suggested funding sources & useful documentation for making funding requests)
• Look into the possibility of the SLT department taking out a monthly subscription for their own, separate connection (this costs around £30/month)
• Approach your IT department and request a separate access WiFi point in the SLT department (for some SLT departments, this has cost around £200 within their Trust network)
• Request from the IT department an SSID (Service Set Identifier) to enable occasional downloads & upgrades if you don’t need regular/constant access
• Ask the IT department about the possibility of setting up a group, segregated from but still part of the Trust network
• If local IT don’t have the money to carry out the necessary work, try approaching the NHS technology fund (£1bn was made available to upgrade NHS networks nationwide)
• Ask the IT department whether they provide 4G for their clinicians (e.g. for mobile working on ipads)
• Liaise with other departments who need access (e.g. diabetes, psychology, ICU). We are stronger together –a number of services making the same demands are more likely to be successful than one, small service on its own
• If there are no options within your healthcare setting, consider completing an incident report/Datix stating that it was impossible to provide appropriate therapy (or AAC system) due to a lack of internet access
• If there are no options within your healthcare setting, consider completing a risk management complaint stating that the (named) patient is at risk of isolation & depression without access to the technology which requires internet access for the clinician to set it up and update it
• If SLTs are taking technology home in order to set it up/update software, consider completing an incident/datix report since there has been a breach of information governance