View all newsletters
Receive our newsletter - data, insights and analysis delivered to you
  1. Technology
February 22, 2006

BT talking badges connect hospital staff

Health workers at the UK's Royal Cornwall Trust are piloting an innovative communications system developed by telecoms giant BT that allows staff to contact each other via voice-activated badges.

By CBR Staff Writer

Tiny voice-activated devices weighing less than two ounces are being worn by staff at the hospital. By saying a person’s name or department into the badge, users are automatically connected with the appropriate person and can speak to them using voice-over-IP (VoIP) technology.

BT explained that the technology is based on a BT wireless local area network and uses mobile VoIP technology to convert voice into IP packets which can be transmitted over the network and reassembled into voice at the receiving device.

Though the system is already in use in the US, the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust is the first hospital in the UK to use a system of this kind, and it is hoped the new technology will deliver improvements in productivity for hospital personnel.

Steve Wells of BT Health said, The system overcomes many of the deficiencies of alternative technologies in this highly specialized field and we are delighted to be working with the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, which is trail-blazing this technology in the UK healthcare market.

Simon Goodwin, director of IT for Cornwall NHS, responded positively to the technology saying secure and reliable communication was vital for hospital environments and that the new system would help staff respond more quickly to patients’ needs.

Content from our partners
How businesses can safeguard themselves on the cyber frontline
How hackers’ tactics are evolving in an increasingly complex landscape
Green for go: Transforming trade in the UK

Websites in our network
Select and enter your corporate email address Tech Monitor's research, insight and analysis examines the frontiers of digital transformation to help tech leaders navigate the future. Our Changelog newsletter delivers our best work to your inbox every week.
  • CIO
  • CTO
  • CISO
  • CSO
  • CFO
  • CDO
  • CEO
  • Architect Founder
  • MD
  • Director
  • Manager
  • Other
Visit our privacy policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.
THANK YOU