Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
Case study
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital explained
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust delivers acute and community-based healthcare services across London, including specialist sexual health and HIV services. Operating two major hospitals alongside a network of clinics and community locations, the Trust supports more than 5,000 staff and serves almost one million people. Its technology infrastructure spans multiple sites and supports over 10,000 users across clinical, administrative and operational environments.
As healthcare becomes increasingly digital, reliable connectivity plays a critical role in patient care. From electronic patient records and clinical applications to communication and collaboration tools, the network must provide secure, always-on access to critical services. To support its long-term digital transformation strategy, the Trust sought to modernise its network infrastructure and create a foundation capable of supporting future healthcare innovation.
The business challenge
The Trust was preparing for the introduction of a major Electronic Patient Record (EPR) programme and recognised that its existing network infrastructure would need significant modernisation to support future requirements. With services distributed across hospitals, clinics and community locations, maintaining performance, security and visibility across the estate was increasingly complex.
At the same time, financial pressures across the NHS increased the need for technology investments that could demonstrate both operational value and long-term sustainability. The Trust required a next-generation wired and wireless network capable of supporting modern healthcare applications while reducing day-to-day administration and improving visibility across the environment. Most importantly, the solution needed to provide the resilience, performance and scalability required for digitally enabled patient care.
The solution
Following a competitive procurement process, Charterhouse was selected to design, deploy and support a new network infrastructure spanning Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, West Middlesex University Hospital and multiple satellite locations.
Working closely with stakeholders across the Trust, Charterhouse delivered a complete refresh of both the wired and wireless estate. The project included new core networking infrastructure, enhanced network management, secure user and device access controls, application visibility and analytics, and the deployment of hundreds of access switches and wireless access points.
The solution was designed to simplify management while providing the performance and resilience required to support clinical systems and future digital healthcare initiatives. Charterhouse also provided project management, transition planning, testing, documentation and ongoing managed support services to ensure a successful delivery.
The transformation
The transformation delivered a modern network capable of supporting healthcare services across an increasingly complex and distributed environment. Clinical teams, operational staff and patients now benefit from a more reliable and consistent digital experience.
By introducing greater automation, visibility and centralised management, the Trust reduced the operational burden associated with managing a large networking estate. User and device access became easier to manage while enhanced analytics provided deeper insight into application performance and network activity.
The modernised infrastructure also created a platform capable of supporting digital healthcare initiatives, ensuring that critical clinical systems remain available, secure and responsive wherever services are delivered.
The outcome
The Trust now benefits from a scalable, resilient and future-ready network that supports healthcare delivery across multiple hospitals, clinics and community sites. Improved visibility, automation and control have simplified administration while providing stronger support for clinical applications and digital services.
The new infrastructure provides a foundation for continued innovation, enabling the Trust to introduce new technologies with confidence while maintaining high standards of performance and availability. With secure connectivity spanning the entire organisation, the Trust is better equipped to support both staff and patients in an increasingly digital healthcare environment.