Healthcare Messaging switch to Signagelive / Samsung Smart Signage

Samsung Smart Signage Displays powered by Signagelive used to publicize healthcare initiatives and hospital information at NHS Hospital Trusts.

The Healthcare Messaging Group, a digital signage service provider for the NHS, is one of the first companies in the UK to switch to Samsung’s Smart Signage Platform, powered by Signagelive, to reduce installation, operational and energy costs and to accelerate growth.

The Healthcare Messaging Group, founded in 2008, was responsible for launching the Patient Information Initiative, a communications service created to publicize essential healthcare, patient and hospital information on large displays installed at primary locations within NHS hospitals. The Patient Information Initiative is often funded by private sector companies wishing to align themselves to key public health and hospital campaigns (Stoptober, Change4Life, or Wear it Pink, for example) that are relevant to their business areas.

To date the new Signagelive-powered Samsung displays have been deployed at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Barts Health NHS Trust and The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.

Moorfields Eye Hospital in London have installed a 46” display in the main reception area of its Orthoptic clinic to educate patients about related conditions and procedures, to inform them about consultant availability, and to keep them updated on average waiting times.

Samsung’s Smart Signage Display range comprises embedded media player technology. This eliminates the need for onsite PCs to run and manage campaigns, resulting in significant cost reductions per installation as well as ongoing operational and energy savings.

Signagelive has configured its proven technology to integrate seamlessly with Samsung’s Smart Signage Display range. The company’s new System on Chip (SoC) software is written in HTML5 and replicates the functionality of its PC-based software. The new software version is enabling The Healthcare Messaging Group to provide NHS hospitals with enterprise-grade digital signage capabilities at a highly competitive price and without needing to install any onsite hardware.

The Healthcare Messaging Group activates the new Displays on behalf of the different hospitals by entering a URL reference (which can be found in the setup menu) to connect to Signagelive’s cloud platform. Its software then registers the displays and generates an activation code, giving administrators full access to all digital signage applications.

Signagelive’s SoC software supports different content formats including static images, video, HDMI input, IPTV, web pages and RSS feeds. It also comprises innovative features such as drag and drop functionality, QR code support and management integration for widgets such as Twitter or Facebook.

As with existing deployments, The Healthcare Messaging Group uploads content (developed in conjunction with the hospitals) onto Signagelive’s cloud platform and creates scheduled playlists on their behalf. Individual messages are played on a continuous schedule and feature approximately 12 times per hour, and THMG manage the content so it is dynamic and always up-to-date. All messages are carefully configured to be relevant to their location. A display situated in a maternity ward, for example, would only feature information beneficial to new parents. Hospital staff have access to the news and ticker facilities so they can effectively communicate accurate information about waiting times, total number of consultants on duty or hospital events, resulting in a positive experience for patients, visitors and staff.

Says Ian Gabbie, Commercial Director of The Healthcare Messaging Group:

“The new displays powered by Signagelive are enabling the NHS to make optimal use of their limited funding because they do not need to purchase or install any onsite hardware. Hospitals can use the displays to fulfill their requirement to keep patients informed about important information. They also use them to publicize health-related product and services in an eye catching yet unobtrusive way.”

The Healthcare Messaging Group currently works with 15 major NHS Trusts across more than 30 hospital sites and operates approximately 150 patient information displays, all of which are powered by Signagelive. More than £1million of supplementary revenue has been generated for the NHS by the Patient Information Initiative to date and this money has been used to fund patient care and expand the initiative to new locations.

The Healthcare Messaging Group expects all future installations to be based on the Samsung Smart Signage Platform.