Finding the right department in a sprawling hospital can be difficult, particularly for patients unfamiliar with the building or struggling with conventional signage. Digital wayfinding promises to make the experience easier, using interactive maps and mobile navigation to guide visitors to their appointments. But at Leicester General Hospital, a digital wayfinding trial documented by NHS England ran into problems with the hospital’s Wi-Fi infrastructure. Despite the installation of additional networking equipment, a central feature remained unavailable when the trial concluded in March 2025.
Leicester’s difficulties come against a backdrop of longstanding problems integrating digital systems across England’s NHS. NHS England’s Digital Maturity Assessment, published in March 2026, illustrates the scale of the problem. Although 93 per cent of providers reported using electronic patient records, only 30 per cent had fully integrated, two-way data flows. Meanwhile, 90 per cent had central data repositories, but only around two-thirds of these contained both clinical and non-clinical information.
AV integrators delivering patient communications and digital information systems cannot assume that a hospital’s investment in digital infrastructure means it has the connectivity needed to support a new application.
In July 2026, the Department of Health and Social Care confirmed that £4.467bn had been allocated to technology, digital and data capital programmes across England’s NHS between 2026/27 and 2029/30. The department’s breakdown includes £1.015bn for transforming patient experience and £440m for transforming and connecting care. A further £337m is earmarked for core infrastructure, with £36m allocated to cyber improvement.
These programmes cover digital transformation across England’s NHS rather than dedicated AV budgets. But the scale of investment makes the question of how new technologies will work alongside existing systems increasingly important.
LEICESTER LESSONS
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust began deploying the MazeMap wayfinding system in September 2024, with the trial concluding in March 2025. The aim was to reduce missed appointments and help patients navigate Leicester General Hospital. According to NHS England’s evaluation, the trust was experiencing approximately 7,000 missed appointments each month, at an estimated cost of £160 per appointment. A 5 per cent reduction was projected to save up to £672,000 annually.
The installation comprised four information kiosks and a web application providing interactive maps and directions. Patients could access routes on their mobile devices using QR codes, with information available in 13 languages. A more ambitious feature involved real-time indoor positioning, with patients seeing their location represented by a blue dot that moved as they progressed through the hospital, allowing them to follow directions to their destination.
That functionality depended on reliable wireless coverage and compatibility between the wayfinding software and NHS Wi-Fi. Initial testing revealed gaps in coverage, prompting the installation of additional access points and switches. Further difficulties emerged from the way devices connected to the network. NHS England reported that devices accessing the internet through NHS Wi-Fi appeared to share a single IP address, preventing the application from identifying individual users for live location tracking.
Potential fixes raised questions about data security and server capacity. The problem remained unresolved at the end of the trial, with the trust continuing to work with the technology supplier and Wi-Fi provider. Nevertheless, the kiosks recorded 1,383 uses during December 2024 and January 2025, while patients and staff reported positive experiences, particularly the ability to obtain directions independently.
The trust also recorded a reduction in missed appointments classified under ‘other’ reasons, from 141 in October to 114 in November 2024. NHS England cautioned, however, that the improvement could not be attributed solely to the wayfinding system. Leicester had delivered a usable navigation service, but not the full functionality originally envisaged. Among the lessons identified by NHS England was the need to engage suppliers early, particularly when establishing whether new applications are compatible with existing network infrastructure.
ACCESSIBILITY QUESTIONS
The Leicester project recognised that not all patients would be comfortable using mobile navigation. Kiosks offered an alternative, while trained volunteers were available to help visitors find their way. But accessibility goes beyond providing different ways to obtain directions. Information must also be clear and easy to use, particularly for patients with disabilities or additional communication needs.
NHS England’s updated Accessible Information Standard, published in June 2025, sets out requirements to ensure people with disabilities, impairments or sensory loss can access healthcare information. For those designing patient-facing AV systems, accessibility needs to be considered from the outset, influencing everything from interface design to the placement and operation of equipment.
Compatibility is only part of the challenge. As hospitals become more dependent on connected technology, the reliability and security of the underlying infrastructure become increasingly critical. The consequences of a major disruption were demonstrated by the June 2024 ransomware attack affecting pathology services provider Synnovis. By 26 September that year, NHS England reported that 10,152 outpatient appointments and 1,710 elective procedures had been postponed at the two most affected NHS trusts.
The attack was unrelated to AV infrastructure, but its impact showed how heavily hospital operations depend on interconnected services remaining available. AV equipment connected to hospital networks brings its own security and maintenance obligations. Integrators and hospital IT teams need to agree who is responsible for software updates, device security and ongoing monitoring before systems are commissioned.
MEASURING SUCCESS
One of the more revealing aspects of the Leicester trial is how openly NHS England documented its shortcomings. The technical problems were explained, patient feedback was recorded and the trust acknowledged that the available evidence could not establish whether wayfinding had reduced missed appointments.
NHS England’s Digital Maturity Assessment suggests that technology adoption is outpacing integration, raising questions about how well hospitals can accommodate further digital investment. Leicester’s experience shows that the success of connected healthcare depends as much on the infrastructure already in place as the technology being introduced. For AV integrators, understanding those limitations before installation could make all the difference.
