For the third time, the alarm system in psychiatry has failed: Politicians call for action
For several hours, the staff received no information that the alarm system in psychiatry had once again gone down.
It was during a test of the alarm system in the psychiatry department in Aalborg late Saturday night that a fault in the system was discovered. (Photo: © Aalborg University Hospital) 34 minutes ago
For the third time in a few months, there has been a breakdown in the alarm system in the psychiatry department at Aalborg University Hospital.
With the alarms, staff can call for help if they are assaulted.
And there is a real risk of that if you work in some of the closed psychiatric wards.
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> This is a very regrettable situation.
> Lars Dahl, hospital director at Aalborg University Hospital
In May, employees were assaulted by a patient in the Forensic Psychiatric Department, where the alarm system failed. Because the system was not working, it took a long time for help to arrive.
Afterwards, several employees had to go to the emergency room, and several were also put on long-term sick leave.
Read also: Several employees on sick leave after patient assaulted staff at new hospital (https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/flere-ansatte-sygemeldt-efter-alarm-svigtede-da-patient-overfaldt-personale-paa-nyt-sygehus)
Fortunately, no one was injured in the early hours of Sunday, when the alarm system broke down for the third time. The fault was discovered during a test of the system.
However, the staff were not informed about the breakdown in the system for several hours, even though it is an established procedure that they should be informed immediately.
- This is a very regrettable situation, says Lars Dahl Pedersen, hospital director at Aalborg University Hospital.
He states that the fault in the system has been fixed, and it has been emphasized to those responsible that the staff must be informed immediately in the future if new faults occur.
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Regional politicians: We need to find a solution
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Several politicians in the North Jutland Regional Council now say that changes may be necessary at the psychiatric departments at Aalborg University Hospital.
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> The result may be that we will have to find another supplier.
> Susanne Flydtkjær (Ø), member of the Regional Council in North Jutland
Because it is unacceptable that problems with the alarm keep occurring, believes Susanne Flydtkjær (Ø):
- The result may be that we will have to find another supplier or go back to some other solutions that we know work.
Regional council member Lene Linnemann (SF) states that she has started investigating whether the region is legally obliged to keep its agreement with the responsible alarm company.
- Furthermore, I believe you can never fully trust that an alarm system cannot break down. So you have to have an extra system to fall back on.
Jesper Kristensen, director of the IT company Tunstall, which is behind the alarm system in the psychiatry department in Aalborg, does not wish to be interviewed.
In a written comment, however, he states that the fault that caused the weekend's breakdown has been fixed.
- It is regrettable that the staff have concerns about the alarm system. I have also spoken with the hospital management, and it will take time to restore trust. Therefore, we have also increased monitoring, he writes.
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