SERVICE-USER SAFETY


Dignified privacy that keeps service-users safe


Safehinge Primera’s new radar patient safety aid designed for bedrooms and bathrooms, with no blindspots, aims to help save lives and improve the quality of care in mental health. Philip Ross, the company’s CEO, explains the background to, and thinking behind, the co-production and development of what its dubs ‘the first and only ethical patient safety aid’ – Project X.


Mental healthcare is a complex and challenging field that requires constant innovation and improvement to provide the best levels of care possible. One of the critical issues facing mental healthcare providers is how to balance patient safety and privacy, especially in high-risk private areas such as bedrooms and bathrooms. Traditional methods of patient


observation, such as 15-minute in-person checks, are the equivalent of the manual pulse check with a stopwatch that the NHS stopped doing in physical healthcare back in 1948 – a sign of how great the technological debt is in mental healthcare. These checks can be intrusive, disruptive, and sometimes ineffective. Add to the mix a busy ward, and these checks are not always happening consistently – impacting patient safety and wellbeing.


Concern over camera-based monitoring Recent years have witnessed the emergence of camera-based monitoring systems. However, a growing level of concern has been raised by patient advocacy groups such as StopOxevision,1


frontline and in leadership roles, Estates managers, and architects. By incorporating diverse perspectives and experiences from the very start, we have ensured that Project X is genuinely reflective of the needs and preferences of users. Another crucial aspect here is to create a design brief that is not biased by existing ideas. The message was clear – people wanted and needed a safety aid, but this must maintain their privacy and dignity. In this article, I’ll share how


Project X works, its benefits to both patients and staff, how it was ethically validated, and what customers say about it. I will also discuss how co-production is a guiding principle at Safehinge Primera, and how it can drive positive change in mental healthcare and improve outcomes for patients and clinicians alike.


A mobile app displays the information to staff at the point of need (on the ward), ‘keeping healthcare professionals informed, active, and responsive, no matter where they are’.


as well as many


clinical professionals, who are concerned that devices using cameras undermine patient dignity, potentially cause mental harm, and may adversely affect recovery. This is not to mention alarm fatigue and feelings of hyper alert, which can add yet more stress to the ward ecosystem. When you reflect on why well-intentioned clinical leaders have adopted cameras in bedrooms, they simply felt they had no choice between saving lives or sacrificing privacy and dignity. Safehinge Primera wants to change that. Our business initially focused on the


area of greatest risk – doors. Doors and door hardware still account for roughly 50% of all suicides in mental health hospitals. However, the next big challenge is resolving the risks beyond ligatures


32


within the private spaces of bedrooms and bathrooms. This led to the creation of Project X, a low-power radar sensor that can detect the position of someone within the room and identify their body position. By combining these two data points, the system can highlight when someone might be at risk. For example, someone sitting at their desk is not of concern, but by stark contrast, someone collapsed on the floor in the en-suite would need urgent attention. Safehinge Primera’s purpose is clear:


Together, we design for good. We help protect people through vulnerable times. Co-production and good design is in our DNA, and this led us to take a different approach. Our company spends a huge amount of time listening to people with lived experience, clinical staff from the


Inspiring hope in challenging environments Imagine starting your day as a ward manager, being able to pick up your Project X device, and seeing at a glance that all the patients are safe. With a couple of clicks, you’d be able to check Bedroom 3 to see


how the patient slept last night, knowing that they’ve been struggling recently. You use these insights to engage with them and have a conversation about how they’re feeling, and the progress they are making. Care in mental health is often far from this right now; it’s high-risk, extremely stressful, and people still die by suicide when they’re at their most vulnerable. Staff often talk about ‘burnout’; the impossible task of being everywhere all at once – leading to recruitment and retention of staff being the number one issue quoted by the CQC’s annual review of mental healthcare. To delve deeper into the challenges


nurses face in mental healthcare settings; they are significant, and innovative tools are an essential development needed to support them in their passion for


MAY 2024 | THE NETWORK


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56