One of the largest Children’s Hospitals in the UK, Leeds Children’s Hospital, has recently installed the multi-award-winning BEAMS (Bedside Equipment Alarm Monitoring System) on one of its wards, to enhance patient safety in a timely manner and improve nursing efficiency and conditions. BEAMS at Leeds Children’s Hospital has reduced the number of alarms taking more than 5 minutes to respond to by 57%, more than 30 minutes by 100%, and average response by 43% to 1 Minute 42 seconds.
BEAMS is a monitoring system developed for and with Sheffield Children’s Hospital by Tutum Medical Ltd to significantly improve response times for critical bedside alarms and is the only acoustic solution which listens for medical device alarms and notifies staff of the source and urgency of the alarm, leading to improved patient outcomes, better workflow for nurses and reduced healthcare costs for hospitals.
Jenni France, Ward Manager at Leeds Children’s Hospital said, “We had heard from other children’s hospitals how this simple and easy system was significantly improving response times to critical equipment alarms. We saw great results from a series of trials on Ward L30. Patient safety and reassurance for nursing staff markedly improved. We know immediately which patient has raised an alarm and the urgency of the alarm so we can prioritise alarm responses in seconds. A quiet and calm children’s ward, who would have thought!”
Paul Rawlinson, Managing Director of Tutum Medical Ltd said, “We are delighted Leeds Children’s Hospital have installed our BEAMS system and seeing significant improvements in response times to alarms. Patient safety and better working conditions for nurses are vital especially at a time of nurse shortages and increased alarm fatigue. We are proud to be making a difference not just at Leeds Hospital but on wards across the country with our unique system.”
BEAMS is the world’s only bedside equipment critical alarm monitoring system; it listens for specific alarms and when an alarm has been identified BEAMS notifies nurses which room and on which ward needs attention, together with the severity of the alarm that has been triggered. BEAMS is designed to send the notification via Wi-Fi to a nurse console display located at the nurse station, and to alarm speakers along the corridors. BEAMS creates its own Wi-Fi mesh network which removes the need to interface to hospital infrastructure.
Laura-Clare Whelan, Deputy Head of Nursing at Leeds Children’s, said: “BEAMS gives us the assurance and support for both the nursing staff and families that their care and safety is a priority to us. Patients and parents will know that if an alarm is sounding their nurse will respond, particularly when they do not feel able to call the nurse themselves.”
The BEAMS system by Tutum Medical Ltd is currently being trialled on other wards at Leeds Children’s Hospital as well as other hospitals across the country. BEAMS has recently won a number of prestigious awards over the last year and is currently shortlisted as a finalist in the 2023 HSJ Digital Awards.
For more information including the many benefits BEAMS can provide, to watch the video, or to book a free trial at your hospital, please call 01246 819100 or email info@tutummedical.com
BEAMS – saves time, saves money and saves lives.