Why do patients still have to pay for entertainment?
The Bedside Units were installed, for free, to the NHS over 20 years ago. The cost of TV goes towards the maintenance of the units which covers 24/7/365 support, health and safety checks, replacement of parts and the engineers that repair the units.
We would love to remove the patient pays model overnight. But if we did this with no alternative funding, hundreds of thousand of patients wouldn't have access to basic entertainment such as TV.
Why is there a new payment system?
Hospedia's old payment system wasn't as secure as modern modes of payment. It was also cumbersome because users had to manually input their card details into the Bedside Units.
SPARK TSL has updated this software to have extra security, meet PCI compliance, and protect users when purchasing entertainment packages. This means entertainment packages can now be purchased through a smart device, such as a laptop, smartphone or tablet.
Video resources
Remote Control TV Bedside Unit
Watch this video to learn how to pay for entertainment on the remote control Bedside Units (T2)
Touch Screen TV Bedside Unit
Watch this video to learn how to pay for entertainment on the touch screen Bedside Units (T3)
More Information
Always Improving
SPARK® TSL is always looking to improve our services. This is why we have upgraded the payment system on the Hospedia Bedside Units. If the patient wishes to purchase entertainment, they can select which package they would like to purchase. There will then be a screen where the user can send/receive the new payment link to a smart device through QR code, SMS text, or email. This will take the user to a website where they can pay for the package via:
- Google Pay
- Apple Pay
- PayPal
- Open Banking (Direct Debit/Credit)
Our Dedication to Free Patient Entertainment
We have a vision to make patient entertainment free. Trusts can either upgrade to SPARK® Horizon or pay for the cost of Television. Charites and various Trust services have already switched to Trust paid. There is also SPARK® Media which is a Bring Your Own Device solution with entertainment and engagement resources that are free to the user.
We believe no patient should pay for entertainment, but the Hospedia concession model, which is over 10 years old, is hard to change. That's why we're offering upgrade solutions.