Smart Buildings for Healthcare – what we learned from Digital Health Rewired 

Many clinical staff wanted to know if Smart Building technology could help them control the day-to-day environment on the wards and in operating theatres and play a proactive role in improving patient safety and wellbeing. 

The answer is a resounding yes.

Putting the right converged network systems (CNS) and Advanced Wi-Fi into a building and integrating with building management services and smart sensors can transform the environment on every level. 

At a minimum, it will automate 24/7 local control over heat, light, humidity, air conditioning, air quality and noise. This can be constantly optimised to maintain the right conditions without wasting resources; local manual intervention can also be enabled for patients to ensure an appropriate ambient environment to aid comfort and recovery. 

With intelligent provisioning, the building can get smarter. Motion sensors in single-bed rooms could alert the nearest nursing station to possible falls; similarly, a lack of movement in a locked bathroom cubicle can raise an alarm. A patient trying to get out of bed when they’re not ready could also notify nurses, preventing falls in the first place. 

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) connected digital infrastructure for clinical services, staff and visitors, integration with other care settings – Smart Building technology makes it all possible. 

What we have learned from a decade of Smart Building implementation in commercial settings like Battersea Power Station, the Co-op Live arena and 22 Bishopsgate, the tallest building in the City of London, is that Smart Buildings create the opportunity for a 24/7 living lab. 

As we all know, the vision for any project – be it a brand-new hospital or the remodelling of your kitchen at home – won’t 100% map with the reality of everyday operations. And those demands will change over time. 

A Smart Building approach, with fully integrated digital infrastructure and Advanced Wi-Fi, gives you the data you need to learn, together with the flexibility you need to constantly adapt. 

Provisioned correctly and your building can monitor utilisation of Building Services like heating and lighting, with Operational IT like entry systems and lifts and Internet of Things like blinds on the sunny side of the building. 

That can lead to energy and resource savings right across the estate. For example: automatically adjusting blinds to reduce the need for aircon in sunny wards, shutting down elevators when footfall is low, notifying when staff/visitor food and drink dispensers are empty. 

At the same time, moving patients in beds, re-configuring spaces and keeping track of expensive equipment is faster and simpler. 

Optimising energy usage, improving the efficient use of resources and delivering a better environmental performance across the estate all becomes part of the building’s standard operandi, leading to more sustainable operation and helping to meet stringent regulatory targets.