Why No Hospital Wi Fi?

Pennywise

YES

I'd be all for it. My father spent many weeks in hospital a long way from his friends and family due to terminal cancer and his mobile phone was his only link to the outside world many days. It enabled the family to keep in touch via regular texting to and fro. Used it sparingly for actual phone conversations as he was often unable to talk due to oxygen mask and other tubes etc., but he could still read and write a text. It would have been even better for him to have a tablet or laptop that allowed for easier reading/writing of messages via a proper keyboard by email. He told us many times that he really appreciated the texts so that he could still feel part of the family even though he couldn't be with us. It made a real difference to him in his dying days.

Fair enough, it may seem over the top for people who are only in hospital for a day or two, (or even a few hours), but there are a lot of long term patients and due to the specialist nature of many aspects of care, that often means being in a hospital in a different city (or in our case a different county!) and that does make the patient very isolated. You can still be compus mentis with a serious illness or if you are old - just because your body is failing, it doesn't mean your mind is. My father spent probably 7 of his last 8 months of life in a hospital ward (never managed to be out for longer than a week before complications meant re-admission) and his mind remained strong and focussed throughout. Sometimes you have to look beyond what you see.

boozercruiser

YES

gjchester wrote: »

So who's going to be paying for it? Why should a hospital trust have to put in Wifi, I'd much rather they spent it on patient care, not a nice to have such as wifi.

Although I'd prefer it not to be so expensive, like hospital car parking, I'd prefer to see it be cost neutral (or even a revenue generator) to the hospital, and that will likely mean it will be expensive to use just like the TV/phones.

The infrastructure, installation costs and hardware needs to be paid for, and that comes back the bedside TV issues. Why do you think the TV and Phones are so expensive?

Because back in 2000 in the "interest of patient choice" the goverment allowed private companies to install by bed TV and Phones rather than do it themselves or have common rooms. These private companies have contracts that state the charges and these charges have always been seen as excessive, but the costs have to be paid.

When you talk about patient care do you not think that patient care includes being able to communicate with the outside world with E. Mails, facebook, family contacts and everything else that having Wi Fi Available would mean.

Being in hospital recently near drove me up the wall with sheer boredom.

Regarding cost...one cannot put a cost on a patients well being in respect of being able to keep ones brain in motion through keeping contact with the real worl outside of a place most of us absolutely hate to be. Like Hospital for instance.

You cannot put a price on that.

Anyway..think of the Billions the NHS has wasted on stupid computer programs which never worked properly and have now been ditched.

At least Wi Fi works!:D

boozercruiser

YES

Pennywise wrote: »

I'd be all for it. My father spent many weeks in hospital a long way from his friends and family due to terminal cancer and his mobile phone was his only link to the outside world many days. It enabled the family to keep in touch via regular texting to and fro. Used it sparingly for actual phone conversations as he was often unable to talk due to oxygen mask and other tubes etc., but he could still read and write a text. It would have been even better for him to have a tablet or laptop that allowed for easier reading/writing of messages via a proper keyboard by email. He told us many times that he really appreciated the texts so that he could still feel part of the family even though he couldn't be with us. It made a real difference to him in his dying days.

Fair enough, it may seem over the top for people who are only in hospital for a day or two, (or even a few hours), but there are a lot of long term patients and due to the specialist nature of many aspects of care, that often means being in a hospital in a different city (or in our case a different county!) and that does make the patient very isolated. You can still be compus mentis with a serious illness or if you are old - just because your body is failing, it doesn't mean your mind is. My father spent probably 7 of his last 8 months of life in a hospital ward (never managed to be out for longer than a week before complications meant re-admission) and his mind remained strong and focussed throughout. Sometimes you have to look beyond what you see.

I am so sorry to hear about you loss Pennywise. but you just made the case for having Wi Fi as a link to the outside world far better than I did here.:T

Incidentally I just received the below E. Mail from our local health authority on the matter, so now I write to me MP, papers etc. to see if I can get something moving on it.

Nice to see that over 75% agree with me.

This gives me some heart to carry on with trying to do something about this subject.

Dear Mr Thain,

Please accept my sincere apologies for the delay in my response. I have completed my enquiries and I regret to inform you that there are no immediate plans to provide WiFi access in patient areas. With your permission I would like to forward your letter to the patient experience team, and should any descision be made with regard to the provision of this service in the future they will be able to advise you on it's progress.

Kind regards
Amanda

Amanda Hickin (Hywel Dda Health Board - Receptionist A&E)
Subject: Re: WiFi access in Bronglais General Hospital

P.S. I just E. Mailed this back....

Hello Amanda,
Thank you for your rather disappointing reply in respect of trying to get Wi Fi in hospital. I am certain that to keep up with this century Wi Fi in hospital will certainly happen before too long. It just makes sense in this modern age.

In the meantime please feel free to forward my letter to the patient experience team while I explore other avenues to try and further my objective to have Wi Fi available in hospital.

You may be interested in looking at my post about this in the Money Saving Expert Forum...here...

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3763349

Best Regards

Kenny Thain.

2012/2/27

savemoney

I would want to use wifi if I was in hospital too. I dont mind paying as I would for hospital food if it was reasonable and good quality. I would dread being in hospital because I would get bored very easily and food not to my liking due to dietary requirements.

I would not want to stay in hospital for a minute longer than I would have too, I just think most of us unless you are really ill or sedated would want some form of stimulus to keep us entertained. There are many patients I am sure who dont get many visitors so maybe this may help them stay in touch.

boozercruiser

YES

savemoney wrote: »

I would want to use wifi if I was in hospital too. I dont mind paying as I would for hospital food if it was reasonable and good quality. I would dread being in hospital because I would get bored very easily and food not to my liking due to dietary requirements.

I would not want to stay in hospital for a minute longer than I would have too, I just think most of us unless you are really ill or sedated would want some form of stimulus to keep us entertained. There are many patients I am sure who dont get many visitors so maybe this may help them stay in touch.

I second every word M8....:T

The most I could do recently when I was in hospital was to take my
rather expensive Cowan (I pod type device) in with me. On that I have around 15000 of my favourite music tracks recorded in Flac.

It also had FM and DAB Radio on it.

I took my in ear expensive seinheiser noise reducing headphones in just to listen either to radio or my tracks.

Nobody coud hear what I was listening to and I couldn't hear what was going on in the Ward. BLISS:j (This kept me sane!)

Apart from that there was no telly in the Ward, or you could, if fit enough crawl down the corridor to a reception room where a small telly was on.

Not good enough.:mad:

Bring On Wi Fi...that is what I say.:beer:

boozercruiser

YES

Regarding the below. If anyone from the Bronglaise Patient Experience Team is viewing this, I would particularly welcome your thoughts in respect of this matter........................

Dear Mr Thain,

Please accept my sincere apologies for the delay in my response. I have completed my enquiries and I regret to inform you that there are no immediate plans to provide WiFi access in patient areas. With your permission I would like to forward your letter to the patient experience team, and should any descision be made with regard to the provision of this service in the future they will be able to advise you on it's progress.

Kind regards
Amanda

Amanda Hickin (Hywel Dda Health Board - Receptionist A&E)
Subject: Re: WiFi access in Bronglais General Hospital][/B]