WM5G is the flagship initiative within the DCMS 5G test beds and trials programme. Beating off competition from major cities around the UK it is the only major urban 5G programme and is at the heart of the most ambitious and influential 5G initiatives in the country. It has already made the West Midlands the best-connected 5G region and has driven a wide range of sector-focused use cases helping hundreds of SMEs understand and utilise 5G. 

DigitalHealthSense has led the Health and Social Care programme for WM5G since June 2020. Through the peaks of the Covid pandemic we helped WM5G shape and deliver compelling 5G-enabled health and social care use cases. This included a project with care homes and GPs in Coventry, Wolverhampton and Dudley providing full remote diagnostic consultations – minimising exposure, reducing GP travel times and avoiding unnecessary hospital referrals. We brought local health economies to the table as well as innovative medtech SMEs. The project has been a great success for all stakeholders, including patients, and is set to scale across the region and nationally.