The Challenge

In 2010, UWE began on their road to improving the student experience through transforming ICT, infrastructure and networks, to become more collaborative and dynamic, and to be able to teach in both the physical and virtual world. The university wanted students and staff to interact in both worlds, whilst enabling collaboration with other universities and colleges around the world. 

The Solution

Through the transformation of the universities ICT, UWE worked with Microsoft, Polycom and HP to create a platform that was ready for their future way of thinking. With a new network infrastructure, UWE deployed Microsoft Lync (now Skype for Business) and Polycom Video Conferencing solutions to enable standards-based unified communications that students could use to collaborate across campuses and transform the learning experience, whilst greatly saving on time & costs.

Staff are now able to use Microsoft Skype for Business from their laptops and connect face-to-face with others via the Polycom RealPresence platform. UWE have also implemented Polycom RealPresence solutions within suites across the university, integrated with recording and playback capabilities on the network that has eliminated the costs associated with “double teaching”. 

Distance Learning

Although predominantly used for interaction between students and staff in Bristol, the Video Conferencing solutions are also being used for staff to communicate with international students, alongside communicating with other partner universities around the globe. An international college is now using Video Conferencing to communicate with a Bristol based tutor to assist delivery of a new Masters programme at their college.

The Savings & Results

By meeting via Video, UWE has calculated that costs associated with “degree validation” (where degree material is developed and the course is validated internationally) have been reduced by £25,000, and associated travel costs have been reduced by around £100,000. 

The university is also pressing forwards with it’s super green status, of which this reduction in travel is assisting towards the Carbon Trust Standard certification. 

UWE has a wide international agenda, and supports students from around the world with their education. By implementing Video Conferencing and Collaboration tools, they enhance their international reach and enable a much more productive way to link up with international partners. 

Students also are benefiting greatly by utilising technology that prepares them for the future workplace.

Read the full customer story from Polycom and UWE here >> 

BSUH NHS Trust has upgraded its aging Video Collaboration technology across MDT rooms and meeting spaces within the Princess Royal Hospital and Royal Sussex County Hospital, replacing overcomplicated technology with simplified collaboration solutions, designed for today’s healthcare workforce needs.

• Simplify MDT facilities
• Improve adoption of technology
• Cut travel between sites
• Medical device integration
• Remote consultant connectivity
• Improve patient care & experience
• Save costs & improve efficiency

About BSUH

Treating over 750,000 patients ever year, the Brighton and Sussex University Hospital NHS Trust aims to be the provider of choice for local patients and the provider of specialist and tertiary services for the wider population of Sussex.

To achieve it’s vision, the BSUH NHS Trust places quality at the heart of everything it does, to improve the patient experience, provide the best care and improve patient safety through QIPP – Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention.

BSUH NHS Trust recognises that supporting patient services with modern health informatics including the effective use of video, voice and data technologies, can greatly assist with the trust’s vision.

What’s the Problem?

After a strategic review of telecommunications solutions in place, BSUH NHS Trust recognised the current technology to be over-complicated, confusing and costly, and was not achieving the efficiency gains expected. Clinicians suggested that systems often wouldn’t work as expected and they found the technology complicated to use, resulting in low user adoption and therefore low return on investment.

The human impact of this lack of efficiency was noted too – collaborative solutions were installed to speed up discussions and decision making between professionals from multiple clinical disciplines. For situations where time is of the essence, for example for cancer treatment plans, or where these specialists are in high demand, it is even more important that any solution performs effectively and efficiently.

Taking on the Challenge

BSUH brought on-board UK Video Collaboration & Conferencing partner, VideoCentric, to consult, design, deploy and support a simplified and modernised collaboration solution for MDT rooms.

The aim was to reduce the number of calls into IT, grow confidence and adoption, and cut down travel between sites, as well as improving the quality and integration of other platforms and technologies already in place, such as Microsoft Lync 2010 and 2013.

Any technology implemented needed to be intuitive to use so that training would be minimal, and that external medical devices and equipment, such as PACS machines, could easily share its output with those both within the room and at remote sites.

Solving the Challenge

To ensure MDT rooms within the acute medical team, Cardiac services, Neurology Research and Radiology departments could be modernised, simplified and efficient, VideoCentric initially provided a pilot install within the Radiology department to enable cardiologists and clinicians, along with IT staff, to test and trial the new Collaboration solution.

VideoCentric then installed Lifesize Icon endpoints within each of the meeting rooms, paired with high quality AV equipment so that PACs images could be shared and viewed clearly, both for local meetings and those involving remote consultants.

The solution provided access to multipoint conferencing and mobile applications via virtualised infrastructure situated within the BSUH own Data Centre at the Royal Sussex County hospital. By providing simple and secure access from any mobile device, remote consultants are able to join an MDT meeting wherever they are located, removing distance barriers and enabling clinical decisions to be made in much shorter timescales.

To simplify the MDT rooms further, the complex touch panels were removed by programming a single switch that would turn on or off all of the video conferencing systems, screens, projectors and AV equipment in the room. All new equipment was hidden in a small, locked cabinet to prevent the removal of cables.

Iain Kelly, Senior IT Project Manager, NHS BSUH commented, “Our complex Video Conferencing technology has been replaced by modern, simplified Collaboration tools, enabling our teams to gain the benefits of Video Communications without the inefficiencies we experienced previously”.

He added, “VideoCentric’s technical team have supported us throughout the project and continue to provide a high quality and personal service to ensure we get the most out of our investment, now and into the future.”

Outcomes & Next Steps

The newly installed collaborative solutions demonstrate BSUH’s pioneering vision to improve the patient experience & provide the best care, whilst ensuring saving targets are being efficiently met. VideoCentric continue to work alongside BSUH IT department to ensure the desired outcomes are achieved and exceeded both now and into the future.

VideoCentric continue it’s vision to develop long-term partnerships through knowledge and experience, extended service level agreements tailored to a hospital’s specific needs, dedicated healthcare account managers, and vendor influence enabling software patches & fixes to be pushed through based upon customer feedback.

Due to the successful deployment of this Video Collaboration solution at BSUH NHS Trust, VideoCentric are rolling out similar solutions into a number of other NHS Trusts across Sussex and further afield.

Why not contact our Sales Team to see if this would work in your environment.

VideoCentric were approached by the British Library over 5 years ago, and looked at video conferencing as a means for business and research, alongside organisational meetings and remote learning across the globe. They required the ability to hold multiparty meetings with establishments around the world, whilst staying secure through encryption and firewall management solutions, in addition to requiring additional AV systems & accessories – document cameras, displays & display trolleys.

Initial projects have included the integration of Polycom video conferencing endpoints for meeting rooms, Cisco Executive desktop systems and voice conferencing solutions. VideoCentric have been instrumental in deploying Video Network Infrastructure and Video Conferencing to the British Library, and simplified the transition between two major vendors, Cisco and Polycom. VideoCentric has also supplied and installed over 75 video conferencing systems into this multivendor network environment, and with requirements of strict maintenance and support services, VideoCentric rolled out a new service structure specifically tailored towards the British Library’s needs.