Brighton’s Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital uses CST paging to help manage appointments for junior outpatients
When the brand-new Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital opened in June 2007, nothing was spared to make it one of the most advanced in Europe. One system making life easier for outpatients – and especially for the children – is the MediCall patient paging system from Call-Systems Technology.
MediCall is a paging system for the general public, optimised for the hospital environment. On arrival each patient (or parent) is given a special pager. It means they needn’t be confined to the queue in the waiting room, but can wander to other areas of the hospital and still be contacted immediately when the specialist is ready to see them.
The pagers include three alerts – bleeping, a flashing light, and vibration – that meet two common disability issues with paging in a hospital environment – sight and hearing.
Mischa Butler, Operations Manager for Children’s Services for Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, says the system brings a new freedom to outpatients.
"The Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital is the leading provider of Paediatric services in Sussex, and we have a lot of children coming in as outpatients," he says. "They can be fidgety, even when they are only outpatients. Prior to commissioning the hospital we looked at different ways that we could allow parents and children to move around the hospital areas without worrying about missing their appointment.
"My colleagues and I asked the developers of the hospital to provide a list of possible suppliers of pagers that could be used in a hospital environment. One system stood out – MediCall from Call-Systems Technology (CST). He says it was really simple to operate, not just for patients but for staff too.
The MediCall units are handed out to parents when they arrive in the outpatient’s department, and flash, buzz and vibrate when it’s time for the appointment.
"The coverage is extensive enough that children and their parents can go out of the building to the play area and to the cafeterias. "Parents and children can wander within a safe environment but still be contactable instantly."
At the appropriate time, with the touch of a button staff can send a message to the pager, which instantly and discreetly alerts the parents to return to the Outpatients area. And the child too – because, as Mischa Butler admits, many of the children find the units (with their flashing red LEDs and buzzing) fascinating and want to play with them, at least for a while.
So the fact that the MediCall paging units are built to be sturdy is a bonus. Everything is sealed inside against prying fingers, the rounded construction makes it safer for children to carry, and they are capable of being dropped without affecting the performance. .
The hospital is now using 60 pagers, with two transmitters to cover most of the site, although another base station is being introduced to ensure universal hospital coverage.
One big benefit that Mischa Butler didn’t fully appreciate until the system was actually in operation was the way it aided patient confidentiality. "Now nurses don’t have to call out the names of patients when their appointment is due," he says. "That’s a sensitive enough issue with an adult, but can be very embarrassing to a shy child."
The pagers themselves are larger than conventional pagers for hospital staff. This is deliberate, so that it’s not easy for people to forget about them. But Mischa Butler cites another bonus about the system as a whole.
"MediCall overall is really compact," he says. "Even the transmitter base is very small and doesn’t get in the way on the reception desk. We think it’s also very, very easy to use, for new staff and experienced nurses. Just push two numbers, and press ‘Enter’. Even for technophobes the ‘buy-in’ is very quick indeed."
Since MediCall is a wireless system, installation is fast, easy and unobtrusive and its UHF technology ensures effective coverage without affecting medical equipment. And – especially important for a healthcare trust – it is very competitively priced.
For details freephone Call-Systems Technology on 0800 389 5642, email the company at sales@call-systems.com or visit the CST website www.call-systems.com