Replacing
Replacing a nurse call system in a care home: when and how
A nurse call system lasts a long time, until parts are no longer available or the system no longer fits the way you work. This page covers when to upgrade and when to replace, how to go about it and how a new system can run alongside the old one.
Updated
Upgrade or replace: when is it time?
Signs that a nurse call system is due for replacement:
- Parts are no longer available, or the maintenance contract is ending.
- The pagers or DECT handsets are due for replacement.
- You are refurbishing, or you are rearranging units.
- Care staff walk to a room without knowing what is happening, or two of them walk to the same call.
- You cannot see how quickly a call is answered.
- You want to add sensors, such as a bed sensor or a door sensor, and the old system cannot take them.
An upgrade keeps the existing system and renews part of it, for example the handsets. A replacement changes the system itself. Which of the two fits depends on how many of these signs apply, and on what each route costs over the same period. See nurse call system cost.
All at once, or step by step?
| Approach | When it fits | What to look out for |
|---|---|---|
| All at once | In a new build or a major refurbishment | One moment of switching for all teams |
| Unit by unit | In a building where residents are living | One system per unit, so it is clear where a call arrives |
| A trial first | If you want to know whether it suits your teams | Agree beforehand what you will look at after the trial |
Can a new system run alongside the old one?
That depends on the new system. Daza Connect works with its own wireless sensors and its own gateway and does not need the cabling of the existing system. So you can start on one unit while the old system keeps working on the other units.
Do keep to one system per unit. Otherwise care staff have to look in two places.
Step-by-step plan
- Take stock. How many rooms, which calls are there now, who receives them, and what is missing?
- Set your requirements. The eight questions for a supplier on the page about a nurse call system for care homes help with this.
- Involve the right people. Team leaders and night staff, IT for Wi-Fi and phones, the maintenance team for the building, your data protection lead for the agreement on data processing, and residents and their families for the use of sensors.
- Run a trial on one unit. Preferably a unit with a night shift.
- Roll out unit by unit. Only switch off the old system on a unit once the new one works there.
- Review with the figures. How quickly do staff respond, and where do most calls come from?
What stays and what changes?
- The fire alarm system stays. It is a separate system with its own requirements. A nurse call system does not replace it.
- The light above the bedroom door. A system on the smartphone works without lights in the corridor. The alert is on the phone of the carer who is responsible. Discuss with the team whether that suits the way they work.
- The residents’ transmitters. These are replaced by the sensors of the new system.
- The staff handsets. Pagers and DECT handsets make way for smartphones. See the nurse call app for care homes.
How long does it take?
The technology is the short part. Daza Connect is operational within one day: the gateway goes in a central spot in the building, you pair the sensors with the app, the app can be installed straight away and the web portal is accessible from any browser.
The organisation takes more time: agreeing who covers which unit, explaining it to the teams and talking to residents and their families. So start on that in good time.