A Complete Nurse Call Life Cycle Upgrade for The University Hospital of North Durham (UHND) Site

Wandsworth Healthcare is thrilled to be working in tandem with Engie FM to undertake a full refurbishment of the University Hospital of North Durham’s nurse call facilities, throughout the 523-bed premises.

The hospital’s old technology has reached its end-of-life and will be replaced by an IPiN Evolution Nurse Call System alongside a brand-new QDT. Given the importance that patient care continues during these works, this process will be carried out with minimal disruption to operational efficiency in the building.

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Fitting a Brand-New IPiN Evolution Nurse Call System

Our robust IPiN Evolution Nurse Call System harnesses the latest IP technology to offer an innovative, futureproof solution that can adapt to suit ever-evolving hospital demands. The system can be integrated with third-party or Wandsworth systems while remaining fully backwardly compatible for a more cost-effective, tailored option for healthcare environments.

The latest IPiN Nurse Call System is capable of being expanded to include VoIP, Staff Attack and Wandering Patient functionality for a multi-faceted solution that allows nurses to deliver the highest level of care and safeguard both patients and staff. The end-to-end service, including full maintenance support, provided by Wandsworth Healthcare ensures a long-life cycle for all IPiN Nurse Call Systems.

Outstanding Progress Made in the First Two Phases

Through the first two phases of the nurse call overhaul project, we were able to easily replace the existing Wandsworth system while retaining 100% of the features required by the hospital including Entertainment and Nurse Presence services. Our team of installation experts were able to preserve existing black boxes and bedhead trunking of each room with the vision of manufacturing new bespoke plates to compliment the new, versatile nurse call solution. The IP system is simple to build up and install in stages, for projects that require a flexible, dedicated network.

Engie FM Project Managers and NHS Trust Estates Engineers were confident in selecting our cost-efficient IPiN systems to fulfil the specified brief, having chosen the existing system from our manufacture.

We first carried out a demonstration for Engie and the Trust, showcasing the flexible and fast-acting capabilities of the IPiN system to propose a plan for upgrading the existing technology. Our team then carried out a full survey of all areas and wards, cross-referencing the existing schematics to ensure any changes since the initial fitting were successfully captured, no matter how minor.

We were able to add unique modifications to the existing core solutions, including a new entertainment rack and updated green OD lamps for Nurse Presence Facility.

Entering Phase Three of This Unique Refurbishment Project

The first two phases of the project were successfully delivered within a tight timeframe, with each vacant ward completed in no more than 5 days. In some cases, our installation team were working in a live environment and managed to cause minimal disturbance. Our experts kept existing systems live while the new IPiN Systems were installed so that the hospital could run as normal, with a few areas requiring temporary, wireless systems to eliminate downtime.

Project Manager at Engie, Anthony Leighton has been delighted with the progress of the project so far and the impact this has had on hospital efficiency and staff coordination.

With the first two six-month phases complete, we are moving into the third and final phase of project delivery. The final phase will see the hospital fully fitted with our innovative IPiN Evolution Nurse Call System, thus enhancing the patient experience using the most responsive and adaptable Nurse Call solution available.