Ensuring patient safety is the single most important priority for healthcare staff. In high-risk healthcare settings the risk to patients is elevated, requiring additional measures to be put in place to ensure the wellbeing of service users.
While Pinpoint’s staff security systems are predominantly used to prevent violence toward employees, our panic alarms also play a vital role in reducing risks of harm for service users.
Here we explain how Pinpoint’s security systems enhance the safety and wellbeing of both patients and staff in high-risk environments.
Instant support
In certain high-risk settings, service users may suffer from severe mental health conditions which causes them to pose a threat to themselves. According to data from the NHS, incidents of self-harm in mental health units almost doubled between 2013-2017.
It is therefore essential that these individuals can call for help should they feel at risk or in danger of self-harm. Pinpoint’s patient wrist PITs are both efficient and easily accessible, vital for service users experiencing distress. By simply pressing a button located on a wrist-worn device, the patient triggers a “patient call”, alerting staff to the incident.
The speed and precision with which these systems work, identifying the nature and exact location of the call in under 85 milliseconds, ensures that staff can provide timely assistance for the patient.
Likewise, in environments where patients may be susceptible to falls, Pinpoint’s safety systems enable service users to summon help without having to move. With a panic alarm held on their person, patients can easily summon healthcare workers to help.
Allan Aikman, Product Manager, says “Patient staff alarms work using same technology as our staff PITs – they just have a different form factor and transmit a different signal – the ‘patient call’ level.
Prevents aggression between patients
In high-risk environments where patients share a communal space, there is a risk of violence between service users. Such situations can escalate quickly, and a single member of staff may not be sufficient to intervene.
In such scenarios, the employee needs to be able to call for additional assistance to minimise the risk of harm to patients. By activating the “emergency” setting on their body-worn PIT, healthcare staff summon a response team to manage the situation. Pinpoint’s integrated system of Over Door Lights and Alphanumeric Display Units direct staff to the exact location of the incident, allowing them to prevent a serious attack from taking place.
Staff wellbeing
Recent NHS reports demonstrate that hospital workers at risk of harm from patients often experience high levels of stress and job dissatisfaction. Low mood, poor staff morale and absenteeism inevitably impact the quality of care given to patients.
Pinpoint’s staff safety systems give healthcare workers the reassurance that, should a patient become aggressive, they can immediately summon a response team and help will soon be on its way. As a result, healthcare workers using Pinpoint’s systems experience increased job satisfaction, reduced stress, and increased productivity.
This was the experience of the team at Millenium Care. Rachel Blackburn, head of the care home said “Our staff finally feel perfectly safe as they know that their body-worn personal alarm will summon help immediately every time.”
Without the threat of aggression from patients, employees are in a better position to carry out their duties and thereby provide vital care to all patients. By improving the working conditions of the employees, so too do you improve the safety of patients in high-risk environments.
Pinpoint’s safety systems improve patient safety both directly through efficient, reliable call systems and indirectly by providing workers with a secure work environment.
Find out more about our safety alarm systems by getting in touch here