STAFF PERSONAL ALARM SYSTEMS
Boosting staff safety and security at St George’s
Allan Aikman, Product (Design) manager at Pinpoint, a specialist provider of staff personal alarm systems, describes how the company provided ‘a 100 per cent reliable, easy-to-use’ such system for St George’s Hospital, the main treatment centre for acute mental health issues in South Staffordshire.
Pinpoint develops manufactures, installs, and maintains, staff safety systems to protect staff at risk of harm in the workplace. A family-run business established in 1992, the company produces high-performance alarm systems that enable staff to call for assistance in case of an emergency. Using intelligent infrared capabilities, its staff attack system pinpoints and relays the exact location of a call in 85 milliseconds. Pinpoint’s advanced technology plays a significant part in protecting staff working in mental healthcare facilities, where the risk of patient violence is raised. In such settings, our personal alarm systems have proven invaluable in providing safety and support to healthcare professionals when they need it most.
St George’s Hospital St George’s Hospital is the main treatment centre for acute mental health issues in South Staffordshire. A part of Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, the hospital houses 12 inpatient wards, and caters for a large number of outpatient service-users. The hospital’s 400 staff support service-users with a wide range of mental health problems – from young people experiencing the first episodes of psychosis, to offenders with mental health disorders, and elderly
St George’s Hospital in Stafford is the main treatment centre for acute mental health issues in South Staffordshire, housing 12 inpatient wards, and catering for a large number of outpatients.
patients with severe dementia. Hospital staff are regularly exposed to
aggression from individuals suffering from mental health issues. In 2017, a survey of NHS workers found that 2 in 5 mental health professionals had been abused by patients. More recently, a YouGov survey reported that 67% of patient-facing NHS workers experienced aggressive behaviour from a patient at least once a year. An effective, dependable security alarm system is therefore crucial to
prevent such incidents escalating, and to reassure staff that they have appropriate back-up when required.
The challenge In a large hospital like St George’s, a staff personal alarm system is activated almost every day. The systems used must therefore be 100% reliable, easy to use, and offer full coverage. With increasing levels of violence toward staff taking place, hospital managers reviewed the existing internal security systems, and identified a need to improve safety for healthcare workers. This is where Pinpoint came in. The Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust required an alarm system that would link to the pre-existing security systems elsewhere in the hospital. However, given the multiple programmes in use, several of which could only work with its proprietary components, it was clear that integration was going to be an issue. To meet the hospital’s technical needs, Pinpoint’s system was configured to operate across the Trust’s network, replacing an unreliable system with high maintenance costs. Pinpoint’s technical team also saw a
The badge PIT is a personal alarm system that takes the form of a standard identity badge-holder worn on a lanyard or belt hook.
THE NETWORK | MAY 2022
need to extend coverage to the gardens, an area not covered by the existing system. By increasing coverage to this area, staff were better able to supervise the outdoor space, allowing service-users to gain the
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