This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
Half a million NHS workers benefit from telecoms deal
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.
Following an agreement between the government, NHS and telecommunications companies in April, 29 mobile and fixed broadband providers agreed to prioritise connectivity improvement for NHS frontline staff. Since then, almost 500,000 NHS staff have claimed directly from their provider or through the NHS triaging system.
The 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.
Minister for Digital Infrastructure Matt Warman 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 added: “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.”
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.
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