University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust has been awarded the Best Internal Communications Award 2009 by the Association of Healthcare Communicators, for its Connectvision screensaver project.

Saturn Communication’s Connectvision digital signage screens and screensavers are used to deliver University Hospitals Birmingham’s InVision multimedia messaging channel, involving 75 digital LCD screens and 5,000 desktop PCs. On a typical day more than 10,000 staff, patients and visitors will view the screens at some point during the day.

The evaluation of the Connectvision screensaver project by the Trust noted that the screensavers project was delivered on schedule and has proven to be an effective way of communicating with staff. Typical content includes: KSF information, Trust ‘Vision and Values’, Key training courses, Hand hygiene awareness and Clinical trials. The name of the UHB’s new hospital was announced to staff via the InVision channel. In addition the new branding of the Trust and introduction of the Trust’s vision and values has been communicated via the InVision channel.

The Trust also highlighted that the communications department has received scores of requests for information to be added to the screensaver from staff across a variety of areas throughout the Trust. As a consequence the department has seen a significant reduction in the number of posters requested. Staff in the Training and Development department have seen a dramatic rise in the number of people taking up training courses and in many cases additional dates have been added to courses to cope with demand.

In awarding the Best Internal Communications Award 2009, judge, Mike Cooke, CEO, Nottinghamshire Healthcare, said, “This project provided simple, original, effective messages which have developed into a house style.”

Source: Connectvision