Beacon Hospital first Hospital in Ireland to have an operational CAT6a network
Ground breaking technology specified and installed by Kedington
The Beacon Hospital in Sandyford is the first hospital in Ireland to install a CAT6a data cabling infrastructure capable of delivering 10 Gbit of data per second to any computer on the network. The leading edge cabling technology was specified and installed by Kedington. This innovative networking technology was installed to cater for the current heavy data transmission loads, typical of hospital environments, and also to future proof the hospital by guaranteeing capacity to support a 10 fold increase in data traffic when required.
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| Left: Deborah Brehe, Chief Executive – Beacon Medical Group, Middle: Willie O’Connell, MD of Solutions Division - Kedington, Right: Michael Cullen, CEO – Beacon Medical Group |
The Beacon Hospital will have 183 beds and the first private hospital to be built in Dublin for 20 years. It is envisaged that the Hospital will participate in the National Treatment Purchase fund, treat more than 17,000 patients annually, of which it is hoped up to half will be public patients, and will offer a full range of medical services. In particular, the Beacon Hospital will specialise in cardiology, oncology, radiotherapy and interventional radiology.
Michael Cullen, CEO of Beacon Medical Group who is building the facility, is keen to stress the importance of equipping the hospital with the very best technology available today. “We were in the fortunate position of having a green field site. Therefore throughout the hospital we have employed the most up-to-date technology and equipment available while at the same time planning to support the next generation of technologies when they become available.
“One such requirement was 10G cabling. Hospital systems generate huge amounts of data and their data network needs to be able to support the rapid transmission of that data for example MRI scans, X-rays and PET scans from the radiology centre to the doctor on the ward. By installing the highest bandwidth network across the hospital we will ensure that our medical staff have the information they need when and where they need it.”
All departments of the hospital have been cabled with 10G from operational, facilities, diagnostic imaging, clinical, patient records, drug administration, patients (internet access) and patient entertainment and staff training areas.
When making the decision to install the most effective cabling, it was vital to choose the most reliable cabling partner. Kedington was chosen for a number of reasons according to John Coronor, Associate Director Ethos Engineering who were responsible fore the Mechanical and Electrical design of the hospital network including data. “We wanted to install Systimax cable as it is the leader in the field. We quickly discovered that Kedington was the first Prestige Systimax BusinessPartner in Ireland - demonstrating exceptional technical expertise and commitment to the data networking market – and ahead of its peers by a long chalk,” said Coronor.
“In addition, Kedington was able to present an impressive list of installed customer sites, all of whom spoke very highly of Kedington’s knowledge and expertise.”
Kedington has installed 136,000 meters of CAT 6a cable, 2,500 meters of fibre and 1,500 data points across the hospital. The fibre backbone connects all the floors within the hospital. It also links the hospital with the Beacon Consultants Clinic, Beacon Dermatology and Beacon Renal, integrating all parts of the Beacon campus within a seamless network. All departments are wired in CAT6A structured cabling and are fully covered by wireless (WiFi) access points. Wireless access is also being used to support Wifi phones and mobile data access.
Willie O'Connell, managing director, Solutions, Kedington is pleased with the way the project has developed. “We applaud Beacon Medical Group for its long sighted approach to using the best that technology available today. It did not stint in their technical requirements and opted for the most powerful and cost effective solution on the market.
“The decisions made today mean that the hospital has a huge data network capacity immediately. But it can also be scaled very quickly in the future. The best of both worlds for a world class hospital.”