Reducing response times and the number of patients falling with Smart Nurse Call

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust in northern England is dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of the local community. With that goal in mind, the Trust aims to provide a working environment that promotes wellbeing, uses digital innovations to integrate care, improve patient outcomes through enhanced quality and safety.

As a result, when the Trust needed to refurbish its Wensleydale ward at its Harrogate District Hospital site – an acute cardiology and respiratory medical ward with a high turnover of patients, it decided to embrace the latest digital solutions to create a 'digital exemplar ward'. Having a nurse call system is a statutory requirement, but the hospital went further by installing a smart nurse call solution in partnership with Ascom that would help the nursing team work smarter in delivering care.

Taking on the challenge of patient falls

The Trust decided to undertake a before-andafter study to measure improvements to patient outcomes, staff workloads and even care costs that the new smart nurse call solution could deliver. This study focused on the incidence of patient falls and whether the new smart nurse call solution could help reduce falls and minimize the consequences to improve patient outcomes.

The Trust's hypothesis was as follows: "If we reduce the response time to patients calling nursing staff via the call system, we will reduce patient frustration and thereby reduce the likelihood of patients leaving beds unassisted, falling and causing harm."

How Smart Nurse Call works

With traditional nurse call systems, patients request assistance by pressing a nurse call button, which creates an alert sound and light. This alert sound and light is only muted when the nurse responds and turns off the alert. With Smart Nurse Call, the request for assistance is directed to the designated team member’s mobile device.

Positive experience for the nursing team

Simon Brazier, Clinical Site Manager and Chief Clinical Digital Officer at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust: “I get to see which patient is using their call bell and where they are in the ward, and I can prioritize based on my knowledge of the patients’ conditions. If I’m busy with another patient, I know someone else will pick up the nurse call. As per our escalation process, it goes to my colleagues letting them know the call bell is unanswered and can redistribute resources appropriately.”

In conclusion

Smart Nurse Call is designed to enhance patient safety, increase staff efficiency and boost satisfaction for both patients and staff. This is clearly demonstrated when we look at the number of patients falling and their impact on patient outcomes, staff workloads and hospital costs. But this is just one of many areas where quicker response times and more accurate and streamlined workflows can help.

For Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust this is also just the first phase in its digitalization roadmap. After implementing Smart Nurse Call and other improvements to patient-nurse communication, the next phases will look at solutions to manage patient deterioration more effectively and develop their clinical and critical communications. All in partnership with Ascom that will continue to provide the necessary products, solutions, training and technical support.