Half-a-million NHS frontline staff in England have
benefited from mobile and fixed broadband offers to stay
connected at work during the coronavirus outbreak.
This follows an agreement made in
April between the Government, NHS and telecommunications
companies with 29 mobile and fixed broadband providers
agreeing to prioritise connectivity improvement for NHS
frontline staff.
Connectivity is more important than ever as many NHS
frontline staff find themselves adapting to remote working.
Almost 500,000 NHS staff have claimed directly from their
provider or through the NHS triaging system.
Will Loughborough, Consultant Radiologist from Royal United
Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust said:
I am a Consultant Radiologist and because of COVID-19 and
social distancing I’m spending more time than usual
reporting from home and remote participation in MDTs.
The triage process was straightforward and within three
days I received a new router as part of a temporary free
broadband upgrade with my provider.
The speed of downloading images has improved greatly
meaning I can report a higher volume of studies in a
given session. This is particularly relevant for more
complex studies such as PET-CT, which is an essential
study to help guide the treatment of patients with
complex cancer.
Minister for Digital Infrastructure said:
We’ve depended on our NHS heroes throughout this crisis
and I am glad we’ve been able to provide this package of
support from our brilliant telecoms companies to keep
them connected.
That so many frontline staff during this difficult time
are benefitting from the mobile data, calls and texts
they need at no extra cost is no less than they deserve.
Minister for Care Helen Whateley said:
NHS staff have been at the frontline of our battle
against this disease and I am hugely grateful for their
expertise and dedication in caring for patients during
this difficult and unprecedented period.
This agreement has helped NHS staff stay connected with
their colleagues and patients and allowed them to work
flexibly from home, ensuring patients continue to get the
care they need.
The ongoing
commitments made by UK telecoms providers include
prioritised access to mobile data access, voice calls and
texts on personal mobiles for work purposes, so that NHS
staff can work without fear of extra charges and
limitations.
There were also broadband improvements where possible for
NHS clinicians working from home, so that they can perform
tasks such as consultations via video conferencing and
review radiology images.
Providers involved in the commitment include BT, EE, O2,
Vodafone, Three, Tesco Mobile, Virgin Media, talktalk, Sky,
Openreach, Gigaclear, Cityfibre, Post Office, ID Mobile,
Lycamobile, GiffGaff, Plusnet, KCOM,ASK4, Community Fibre,
Zzoomm, Voneus, Smarty, Hyperoptic, G.Network, Spectrum and
Wightfibre.
Other firms have committed to help the NHS stay connected
during the outbreak by working with customers who find it
difficult to pay their bills as a result of coronavirus,
removing data allowances on fixed broadband services and
offering generous new mobile and landline packages.
Marc Allera, CEO of BT’s Consumer Division, said:
Over a quarter of a million NHS staff have taken us up on
our unlimited data offer since April and we hope this
support has given them one less thing to worry about.
Along with the discount we already provide, this is a
thank you from all of us at EE to those in the NHS that
are working so hard for us all. We’ve also removed caps
on our broadband packages so customers have unlimited
data, which helps all those working remotely.
Nina Bibby, Chief Marketing Officer O2 (Telefonica UK) said
We recognise and value the incredible work of NHS
frontline workers throughout this challenging period.
Mobile connectivity remains more important than ever and
from providing thousands of connected devices and
additional mobile data and voice calls, through to
handing over the keys for The O2 to be used as an NHS
training facility, we’re proud to support NHS staff and
help them stay connected to their colleagues and loved
ones.
Nick Jeffery, CEO of Vodafone UK said:
We were delighted to be able to help NHS staff and carers
during this difficult period.
Lutz Schüler, CEO of Virgin Media said:
Our NHS staff are the true heroes of this crisis who
continue to make huge sacrifices and take risks to battle
coronavirus. We are proud to have played our part in
helping these incredible individuals get the connectivity
and services they needed to support their vital work.
Keeping the country connected has been a top priority for
Virgin Media since day one and we’ll continue working to
ensure we deliver.
Clive Selley, CEO of Openreach said:
Everyone at Openreach is proud to be connecting our NHS
heroes. The pandemic has shown that digital connectivity
is more important than ever for our friends, families and
healthcare professionals – so we’re cracking on with our
plan to build a new, ultrafast and ultra-reliable
broadband network to millions more people all over the
UK.
Andrew Glover, Chair of the Internet Service Providers
Association, said:
The telecoms industry has stepped up throughout this
crisis and is proud to have been able to offer such
support to the NHS at this time. ISPA has been working
with our membership to push through these commitments and
we’re delighted that so many clinicians have been able to
benefit from the scheme.
Allirajah Subaskaran, Founder and Chairman of Lycamobile
said:
We’re incredibly proud to have been a part of this
important Government initiative. It’s heartening to know
that nearly half a million NHS frontline staff have been
able to access mobile and broadband services without
having to worry about bills or hidden charges. They have
made tremendous sacrifices to ensure the safety of
millions of citizens around the country and this is just
one small way in which we can say thank you to them for
all of their efforts. Our commitment to providing free
services to NHS heroes will remain in place until the
crisis comes to a close.
Dale Raneberg, CEO, KCOM said:
KCOM is very happy to be able to help support this
valuable initiative. NHS staff have worked tirelessly to
protect people in the UK throughout the COVID-19 outbreak
and where our fibre technology can make it easier and
safer for clinicians to consult with patients and to
manage their work remotely then it’s important and right
that we play our part.
Graeme Oxby, Chief Executive Community Fibre said:
Community Fibre thanks all NHS staff who have made such a
massive contribution to saving lives. Our own key workers
have been keeping London connected and we are delighted
that NHS staff have been able to take advantage of the
special discounts available to them. We look forward to
welcoming more in the coming months.
