BSO NHS Trusts

Game Changer Remote Monitoring from Continu Helps NHS Trust improve visibility and operational performance of UPS Systems

The Background:

The Business Services Organisation (BSO) in Northern Ireland provides a wide range of professional and transactional business services to Health and Social Care (HSC)organisations. The BSO is responsible for supporting six NHS Trusts. In a hospital trust, the ICT and Facilities teams play a critical role in maintaining continuous power across multiple sites.

The ICT team ensures that essential digital infrastructure such as servers, networks, and clinical system, remains operational, while the Facilities team manages physical power systems, including UPS, generators, and electrical distribution. Together, they coordinate to prevent downtime, respond quickly to power issues, and support resilience for both patient care and administrative functions. Continu have a decade of experience and knowledge as the Health Trusts contracted partner providing UPS Backup Power equipment and maintenance across multiple sites.

The Challenge:

Gary Campbell, ICT Network and Security Team of the BSO said, “We have over 200UPS systems within the Northern Trust alone on our environment that require 24x7monitoring. The biggest challenge that we had was that after 5:00pm when employee shad gone home, critical issues may have gone unnoticed until the following morning. Staff would receive notifications of potential system problems by email which would mean that they would need to check their emails at all times of the evening for potential issues. It wasn’t a feasible or workable solution. We needed a system that could provide real-time alerts to our phones to improve our ability to respond effectively and quickly and reduce unnecessary stress”

The Solution:

Continu proposed a cloud-based remote monitoring system that included native mobile applications and delivered real-time alerts directly to the client's and Continu’ sdevices. This level of automation enabled immediate response to any issues with the UPS system. Upon receiving alerts on their phones, the client could assess the severity of the issue, either downgrading the priority if it was minor or, if more serious,requesting a call-out from an Continu engineer.

With early notifications, the Trust was able to detect and address potential issues before they led to downtime. This proactive approach allowed Continu engineers to carry out repairs in advance, ensuring continuous operation. Key Trust facilities, including data centres and critical network points, were all connected and protected by Continu’s remote monitoring system.

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How It Was Done:

The Trust were early adopters of remote monitoring, leading the way in innovation with Continu. In response to the challenges of COVID, Continu launched this service to empower remote teams to stay in control of critical equipment. At the time, ICT and Facilities staff were overwhelmed, managing floods of emails and checking alerts late into the evening. Continu changed that. They delivered a smart, secure management platform fully compatible with the Trusts existing systems, connecting all backup power devices through best-in-class software, bringing control, clarity, and peace of mind.

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The Results:

Continu’s remote monitoring system transformed how the client managed their UPS backup power environment, shifting from reactive to proactive. With full visibility through Continu’s intuitive portal, the client could detect and address issues before they became failures. This smarter approach reduced unnecessary engineer callouts, supporting both operational efficiency and Continu’s commitment to sustainability.

"We’ve revolutionised site maintenance, no more unnecessary call-outs, excessive PM visits, no diesel vans on the road unless absolutely needed. It’s a smarter, greener, and more efficient way to keep power protected while cutting waste for everyone.”

Alison McFadden, Managing Director of Continu

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The Results

“Continu is a fantastic partner who is incredibly knowledgeable in the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and battery energy storage systems (BESS) markets. With supply chain challenges, and budget constraints this advance notice allows us to source cost- effective replacements through Continu’s supplier-neutral network, shifting us to a proactive maintenance model. Not only are they able to shorten the supply chain in terms of getting batteries and parts, but they also get preferential rates which for the Trusts is really important. They work with a range of UPS OEM’s which means that they are agnostic in their approach with us. They don’t’ try to force us down a certain route with one supplier. “

Gary Campbell, ICT Network and Security Team

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