Out of hospital care technology expert to speak at NAHS conference

 Multitone to present critical messaging solutions for lone workers  at leading healthcare security conference

Improving security and recognising excellence within the health service is the objective of the forthcoming NAHS conference in Birmingham, bringing together health and safety professionals working in the NHS and private sector. The conference comprises of contributions from various keynote speakers, including a presentation by Dee Barrett, Senior Business Development Manager at Multitone and a leading authority on communication technology solutions within the industry. 

Dee will be presenting at the conference how investment in technology – including solutions which do not rely on WiFi connectivity or infrastructure – can help the health service manage the increase in staff working in dangerous or vulnerable situations.

The expansion of ‘out of hospital’ care and increased investment in community health staff, set out in the Government’s NHS Long Term Plan will enable more and more patients to receive treatment and support in the comfort of their own homes and community out-patient facilities, reducing pressure on hospitals. However, this policy initiative will require significant investment in new technology to ensure that staff members in lone working situations can stay in touch with colleagues at all times.    

Lone workers, such as community nurses and mental health outreach staff are increasingly required to work off-site to provide care for patients. However, many of these remote working staff do not have confidence in their ability to keep in good communication with colleagues based on hospital and community premises, due to inadequate or ineffective systems.

Dee Barrett explained the problem. “NHS Trusts have a duty of care to support their staff at all times, wherever they are working. Unfortunately, much of the technology that is being used or developed at present is either reliant on a stable Wi-Fi connection or is more suited to an on premise environment, requiring cabling work or tagging onto an existing network. 

“To undertake their vital work, staff need to feel safe and protected as well as confident in their ability to stay connected with colleagues – whatever the situation. That is why Multitone has developed new, unique wireless and critical messaging solutions which do precisely that. The Eko Family is a range of staff protection solutions suitable for health staff based both in the community and in hospitals working alone.”

One of the wireless solutions is EkoTek which provides alerts for nurses or consultants using a pager and a series of repeaters; wireless boxes located unobtrusively on a ceiling (or hidden in risers) . The repeater boxes are fixed into the ceiling using two screws and do not require a WiFi connection, instead linked together with a mesh network. Doctors and nurses carry a pager and if they feel threatened press the pager sending an alarm “I need help” prompting a colleague to respond to the call. The alarm board pinpoints the precise location of the member of staff.  A nurse or doctor can respond by communicating with other colleagues to confirm that they are assisting, negating the need for multiple responses which helps to manage resources effectively.

At the NAHS conference Dee and other expert members of the Multitone team will be exhibiting the EkoTek solution as well as other products. All of the company’s solutions can be tailored or adapted to the meet the needs of the organisation, helping the health service to meet the challenge with bespoke and effective critical communications.  

For further information about any of Multitone’s life critical technology solutions, please contact Peter Lomax on 01256 320292 or email [email protected].