Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The Facility

The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust delivers acute services and specialist care across two sites: Hillingdon Hospital and Mount Vernon Hospital. Serving over 350,000 people across west London’s Hillingdon and neighbouring areas, the Trust provides emergency, elective, outpatient, diagnostic, and maternity services.

Together, the hospitals employ more than 4,000 staff and handle around 94,000 emergency visits each year — underscoring the Trust’s ongoing commitment to modern, high-quality care.

The Requirement

Serving a large and diverse London population, both hospitals accommodate high volumes of patients, staff, and visitors, making clear and timely communication an operational priority.

The Trust sought a modern, scalable digital signage network to improve wayfinding, promote key NHS messages, and host approved commercial content that helps generate revenue for the Trust.

Project deliverables included:

• Centralised control via a managed CMS to keep content accurate, current, and consistent.
• A mixed-content model: NHS communications alongside curated, health-appropriate advertising.
• Analytics and reporting to evidence campaign performance.
• Strategic placement of screens at high-traffic touchpoints across both hospital sites.
• A service wrap with content governance and 24/7 support.

The initial deployment comprised six digital signage displays across the two sites; locations include main reception areas, the maternity waiting area, the A&E waiting area, the café, and main thoroughfares. Three screens were reserved for NHS-only messaging; the other three carry NHS content plus curated advertising.

The Technology

Airwave Healthcare implemented its Managed Digital Signage Platform, designed for clarity, control, and compliance.

Key features include:

Deployment was planned around hospital operations, with surveys and content governance agreed in advance. Playlists prioritise Trust communications, while commercial slots are tightly controlled for suitability.

The Outcome

Within four months, the network demonstrated strong utility and engagement. The Trust approved a further 11 screens to extend coverage, increasing message consistency and reach across public and clinical areas.

• Clearer patient and visitor communications at key touchpoints.
• Evidence-based reporting for stakeholders and campaign partners.
• Commercial value via IDS Media without compromising NHS messaging.
• A scalable platform ready to grow with the estate.

Airwave Healthcare continues to support the Trust with content governance, campaign scheduling, and performance reporting, ensuring the platform remains effective, compliant, and easy to manage.