Fast and free phone charging points installed at NHS Trust
A North East NHS Trust has installed free mobile phone charging stations for patients, their families and staff.
Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust is the first UK Trust to deploy the revolutionary Crable Charging Shelves, allowing patients, visitors and staff to charge their phones and mobile devices onsite for free.
Over 50 of the innovative devices, which can charge multiple devices at once, have been installed across the trust to date with a further 75 to follow.
The charging shelves are located in areas where patients and families may have limited phone charge, such as Emergency Care Centres.
Conor O’Neill, Innovation Manager at Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are proud to be the first UK trust to deploy this innovative solution that allows patients and families to charge their phones for free.
“We’ve received excellent feedback from staff, patients and their families as it means that by taking away the worry of running out of battery power, patients can stay connected with friends and family during their stay at the hospital.”
The Crable Charging Shelf offers both wireless and wired charging. Depending on the mobile device, they can charge three to five times faster than a standard wired charge. The trust wanted to reduce the amount of time staff spend looking for suitable charging points, and to keep areas free from wires.
Patients or visitors can easily forget to pick up their charger when they go to hospital – especially if its in unexpected circumstances. Being able to stay in touch with friends or relatives at what can be a very distressing time is vital and was part of the key opportunity identified by staff at the Academic Health Science Network for the North East and North Cumbria (AHSN NENC).
The AHSN NENC specialises in providing expert help and guidance for innovators looking to market products, such as the Crable Charging Shelves, or services in health or care services. They provide support to NHS or industry innovators across the region and are also part of a team of organisations that support businesses in the North of Tyne Combined Authority to drive economic growth in the digital sector.
William McClelland, CEO at Crable, said: “We have installed the shelves in lots of places and it’s great to hear how much staff and patients are benefitting. The trust has been very supportive in testing and rolling out the devices. I am so pleased to have developed a strong working relationship with AHSN NENC. Their support helped us to connect to the key people at the trust and make them aware of the product, we simply would not have been able to do that ourselves. They have helped provide clarity on strategic choices for a small but growing company like Crable and their support ensures credibility.
“We are continuing to work with the AHSN NENC to help us access the wider healthcare market both home and abroad.”
Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust operates a number of premises including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and plans to have installed all 125 charging shelves over the next few months. BUPA is also installing the devices in their refurbishment programme of their UK health clinics. There is also scale up potential for the devices to be provided in care homes, GP surgeries and many other healthcare settings.
