People involved in the caring professions want to deliver a great standard of service to the people they look after. It’s recognised, however, that for people in sectors such as health care and residential care, there’s a lot demanded of them and resources can end up feeling stretched. But nurse call systems and security technologies are helping to provide solutions, by supporting professionals in finding effective ways to respond to patients’ needs and to keep them safe and secure.
Nurse call systems
Nurse call systems have been in existence for a long time, fulfilling the basic function of enabling hospital patients and care home residents to alert staff through the use of a push button or pull cord if they need help. They offer a simple solution, ensuring staff can quickly respond. In some case that might be all that’s needed.
But developments in technology have led to nurse call systems evolving significantly, providing features that improve the care that’s offered to patients and residents. Some of these systems do still need to be wired in but others are wireless. This obviously keeps installation disruption to a minimum and also offers a great deal of flexibility (from a practical viewpoint, something as simple as a furniture relocation doesn’t end up being restricted by the call system positioning for example).They can also be integrated with other technologies to elevate the level of care available.
That means the technology can offer panic alarms, real-time locating systems and even integration with clinical alarms and access to clinical data. The system can be integrated with alarmed floor or mattress mats to alert staff if a resident is trying to get out of bed and is in need of help, enabling caregivers to get to the person’s room quickly to prevent falls or other injuries. The use of smart digital devices makes real time communication within and between teams far easier. Real time reports can be generated to help management during busy shifts and also longer term to help with identifying potential for improvements and for Care Quality Commission reporting.
The technology helps reduce the time taken to respond to calls, and also makes sure there’s information readily available so that situations, particularly emergencies, can be better responded to. This gives residents and patients greater confidence that they can easily get hold of staff when they need them and offers caregivers the ability to be more responsive to their various needs. In larger premises, nurse call systems can be managed centrally and that ensures any problems are detected rapidly and sorted out, so no patient is left without a way to call for help.
Security of residents and patients
Vulnerable people can be easy targets for intruders and it’s paramount they are kept safe. Complex, large and often spread-out buildings like hospitals present many logistical challenges for security; smaller premises like care homes are comparatively more straightforward but still have their own set of security requirements that must be addressed.
Either way, technology such as CCTV and access control systems can play important roles. CCTV can capture images of people coming in and out of buildings and also in the immediate vicinity, allowing opportunities for suspicious behaviours to be picked up on as well as providing useful information to allow the identification of culprits. Access control can play an essential part in enabling care home staff to know the whereabouts of residents, keeping them safe while also managing who is allowed into the building. It allows for different levels of access, useful in hospitals where site users have varying requirements in terms of where they need to go. And with options to integrate systems, the technology also potentially offers ways to initiate a rapid lockdown of areas.
Do you need advice on the latest security and nurse call technology?
If you would like guidance on how security or nurse call technology can help you deliver the levels of care you need while keeping all building users safe and secure, please do get in touch with us.