HSL is delighted to announce its partnership with Neat, the Norway-based developer of hardware aimed at making video conferencing simpler and improving the user experience. As an Advance Pro partner – and Neat’s only dedicated focused healthcare partner – HSL is engaging on a strategic level with the team at Neat to bring its innovative hardware solutions to the healthcare sector with the aim of improving video calls for clinicians and patients across the UK and Ireland.

HSL believes this new partnership will continue to boost confidence in telehealth solutions as Neat is passionate about bout blurring the lines between the physical and the virtual meeting, making video communications seamless and reliable. Hardware solutions offered by Neat are built in the ethos of “It just works,” meaning clinicians can trust tech to work as and when required, and set-up of devices is geared toward the same experience as setting up a consumer device, reducing the load for hospital IT teams.

In a recent Frost & Sullivan survey of global IT decision-makers, 93% of business leaders expect one-quarter or more of their employees to work from home moving forward, with hybrid work set to become the new normal. As many businesses want the option of deploying either Zoom or Microsoft Teams across their organisation, Neat has announced a collaboration with Microsoft to make their pioneering video devices available to Microsoft Teams customers worldwide beginning January 2022 to enable more and more people worldwide to enjoy the future-ready video technology Neat provides.

Neat’s complete portfolio of devices will be certified for Microsoft Teams and will run Teams and Microsoft Teams Rooms for Android, empowering Neat to further help drive innovation across meeting spaces to address today’s hybrid workplace needs and ensure Microsoft Teams customers will get to enjoy the best meeting experience imaginable.

“The quality and ease of use of the Neat systems, embedded with HSL’s services and support, essentially empowers healthcare providers to utilise conferencing and collaboration in many more ways for the benefit of the service, the clinicians and importantly improving access and outcomes for patients across a wide range of conditions and disciplines,”

says Dominic Walsh, CEO of HSL.

“Considering also the assured value for money that comes from HSL being able to supply these products and services through the NHS Medical IT Framework we have a unique value proposition to offer our customers.”

“I have worked with the team at HSL for many years now, and together we have always delivered innovation and value to all of our customers. We are committed to supporting HSL in their work within the healthcare sector across the United Kingdom and Ireland and through our combined capabilities we will help care providers to exploit these new ways of working for the benefit of all,”

added Wayne Mason, VP of Partners for Neat.

So far, telehealth solutions have been accepted very well by healthcare providers and patients during the ongoing pandemic. With restrictions constantly being reviewed due to the rise of Covid-19 cases, the need for reliable video conferencing services, systems and devices is constantly rising. HSL continues to empower customers to deliver integrated virtual health platforms which are expected to remain an increasingly important part of the health service beyond the pandemic.

“The partnership with Neat to bring this technology into everyday use across healthcare in the UK and Ireland and to integrate it with other medical, clinical and ICT applications already in use opens up a whole new suite of applications and opportunities for us that will enable HSL to continue to drive innovation and value for our customers,”

comments Sam McMaster, Head of Healthcare Technologies for HSL in Great Britain.

“The ability that is built into the Neat systems to work with a range of communications services such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams enables our customers to exploit these services in a broader way. In addition, the availability of these products and services when deployed properly will fundamentally change parts of healthcare spectrum such as clinical education, remote patient care, multi-disciplinary team meetings for various care programmes and clinical collaboration in areas such as radiology, pathology and reporting.”

Zoom Rooms – The Neat Way

The Neat Bar and Neat Pad are native Zoom devices which aim to do for conference rooms what Zoom did for video meetings. Working closely with Zoom, the team at Neat have developed the Neat Bar for simple set-up and launch. There is no PC required with the Neat Bar, meaning interruptions like required Windows or iOS updates or required reboots have been eliminated. With table stand options, wall mounting, or on-screen mounting, the Neat Bar is adaptable to various set-ups and is fully managed via the Zoom administration portal, with updates fed to the Neat Bar as Zoom releases updates. 

A high quality 12MP camera and superior audio quality offer an outstanding user experience and clarity, creating a protective audio video bubble around each participant, whilst an ultra-sonic tweeter also enables reliable and seamless content sharing from other devices. With a range of proprietary technologies included within the Neat Bar, this one-device solution is improving the quality of calls for those within a conference room as well as those at the other end of the call.

Simplifying Video Call Formats with Neat Symmetry

Working to reduce the difficulties faced by video calls taking place in a conference room format, Neat’s auto framing technology, Neat Symmetry, works by identifying the individuals within a room and framing each individual in their own tile. This helps to centre the individuals on a call in their own frames, eliminating background noise and helping call participants in other spaces to feel more integrated into a group conversation. The framing technology is also capable of intuitively tracking individuals as they move around a space and picks up new individuals as they enter a room.

Enabling Healthy Workspaces with Neat Sense

With a focus on creating healthier, safer and more cost-effective workspaces and classrooms, Neat Sense also gives accurate, real-time room analytics of a workspace. This technology can monitor and give reports on the number of individuals in a space at any given time within a meeting, the ambient temperature of the room, and humidity and CO2 levels of the workspace. As workplaces continue to review the steps they are taking to facilitate safe workspaces during an ongoing pandemic, Neat Sense is helping to ensure social distancing is maintained and air quality is managed in a way that does not facilitate virus spread.

Neat Board

A complete Zoom Rooms package in a sleek all-in-one device, Neat Board offers an immersive 65-inch multi-touch screen, powerful audio system and versatile wide-angle camera. Taking the Zoom Rooms experience a step further into an immersive experience, Neat Board enables annotations and whiteboarding and comes with Neat Marker which eliminates the need to touch the screen with your fingers.

With auto-waking technology which responds to your presence when you enter the room, Neat Board allows participants to wirelessly share a screen, start a meeting, or mark something up and is perfect for taking notes, organising thoughts and providing quick visual feedback. With the ability to pair with Neat Pad as a controller, features can also be controlled from a distance.

or more information on how Neat’s innovative Zoom-enabled hardware is helping to streamline conference calling or to discuss how Neat’s solutions could improve your working environment please contact enquiries@hsl.co.uk