A messaging app that allows clinicians to communicate securely

London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, which provides care for more than a million people across its four hospitals and community services, has worked with a health technology start-up to make the company’s secure messaging app available to thousands of staff across its organisation.

Situation

COVID-19 has restricted communication between many clinicians as-face-to-face communication is limited to essential circumstances only.

Aspiration

To create a secure digital method to improve communication between clinicians during the pandemic and for the foreseeable future.

Solution and impact

Hospify allows teams at London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust to co-ordinate and message each other instantly using their mobile devices, whilst keeping communication secure and compliant with data protection rules. Teams can create chat groups, talk directly and contact external parties to help share information safely and instantly at a time when close interaction is being reduced and many staff and patients are in self-isolation.

For clinical teams and Trust management, the Hospify Hub online admin portal helps with onboarding staff and provides the Trust with the ability to broadcast important messages and document attachments to keep staff quickly appraised of new developments. The portal can be used to communicate with the Trust’s entire staff or to target individual teams and shifts, without the need for face-to-face interactions between clinicians.

Functionality

Hospify's free messaging app is approved by the NHS Apps Library and can be downloaded from the Apple and Android app stores; its team platform, which includes a web-based version of the app and the Hospify Hub admin portal can be purchased by hospitals, surgeries, and other healthcare institutions.

Capabilities

The app offers:

• secure one-to-one and group messaging
• unlimited text and photo messages
• easy-to-use interface and set-up with no training required
• a 6-digit passcode to protect you and your data
• message storage on your mobile device only, not in the cloud, and automatically deleted after 30 days
• end-to-end message encryption
• compatibility with the Hospify Hub (the premium version of Hospify, for large teams)
• no display in notifications of sensitive message content on your home screen
  

Scope

The service is designed to be used remotely by clinicians, either in the workplace or at home.

Key figures/quotes

“Hospify’s approved messaging app provides our people with a critical communication channel at what is an extraordinarily challenging time. Rolling out this service not only helps our teams to communicate at a time when normal interactions are more challenging, but is one part of a wider strategy to improve our digital offering to all health and social care staff.”
Sonia Patel, former chief information officer at London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust.

Find out more

Read more about Hospify at North London here

Read an article about the Trust’s use of Hospify here

Key contact

support@hospify.com