FREE WiFi Wireless Internet for All UK NHS Hospitals by 2020

The Government has today pledged that every NHS Hospital in the United Kingdom will be able to provide staff, patients and visitors with a free WiFi (wireless Internet) hotspot connection by 2020.

At present many UK hospitals already offer free WiFi (see a list here), while others charge you for the privilege and sadly a few offer no such connectivity. Sometimes it’s possible to get around this problem by going online via a Mobile Broadband (3G or 4G) connection on your Smartphone, assuming the signal is reasonable and they allow you to do it.

However the Government’s health secretary, Jeremy Hunt MP, has today confirmed that he will use part of a new £1bn technology fund to ensure that all NHS Hospitals are covered by a free WiFi service by the end of 2020. The move would also help to improve e-prescribing and other digital based services, not least by removing a lot of paper-based admin.

Jeremy Hunt said:

“Everyone using the NHS expects it to be a world leader in digital healthcare and free wifi is an essential part of making that a reality.

It will give patients and staff the ability to access the services they need as well as freeing up clinical time and reducing overall costs.”

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