Google Business View offers first virtual tour of an NHS hospital
A treatment centre has become the first NHS hospital to allow internet users to explore its rooms via the Google Business View tool.
The virtual tour aims to demystify the patient journey by allowing users to familiarise themselves with the operating theatres, consulting rooms, recovery wards, and waiting areas ahead of their appointments at the Devizes NHS Treatment Centre.
Independent healthcare provider Care UK worked with 360-degree virtual tour specialists Ideal Insight to create the tour.
Belinda Moore, group marketing director at Care UK said: “A visit to hospital can sometimes be stressful so it is important that our teams do everything that they can to make sure people are as calm and comfortable as possible".
"This virtual tour is very useful to patients who may be nervous about surgery by allowing them to familiarise themselves with the hospital layout and what certain medical equipment looks like before they visit for an appointment,” she adds.
The news follows the launch of an equivalent tour of Care UK's state-of-the-art Mill View care home in East Sussex last year. The healthcare provider claims that more virtual tours are scheduled for 2014.