Further to the opening of the new Grange University Hospital, what steps is the Minister taking to address phone signal issues in the hospital?
I have been advised by officials from Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (ABUHB) that there is a detailed plan to provide mobile telephony signals throughout the Hospital alongside wi-fi but due to the early opening, the ability to have this available for all mobile providers in time has not been possible.
At present, the mobile provider EE, who are the contracted provider for ABUHB staff mobiles, does provide a mobile signal to anyone on site with an EE contract and there is some signal reception for other providers in parts of the building.
Wi-fi connection through the Cloud wi-fi system is available to staff and public alike throughout the hospital which allows people to use other mobile applications like ‘Whatsapp’ etc. but it is recognised that this does not meet everyone’s needs.
I have been informed that ABUHB expect to complete the works on the mobile telephony provision across the site in 6-9 months, depending on the current working environment.