Nurse Call FAQs

Set Up

1. How does the cost of a radio system compare with a conventional wired system?

The bulk of the cost of a radio system is in the electronic equipment, whereas the bulk of the cost of a wired system is in the wiring and in particular the labour cost. It should of course be borne in mind that the price of electronics in general is decreasing year by year, whereas the cost of labour is increasing. When comparing like with like, a radio system will usually compare favourably with a wired system of similar size. In addition, an added advantage of a radio system is that installation is much quicker and can moved to a different location.

2. How do I get a quote?

Simply request a visit to the site and a sales consultant will assess your requirements. A quote will then be provided within 48 hours.

3. How do I book an appointment?

Contact head office and we will book an appointment for the sales consultant to visit.  
Call us on 0800 052 3616.

4. How do I know what equipment I would need for my home/hospital?

The sales consultant will recommend the equipment best suited to the site in order to meet your individual needs.  We provide a full demonstration and site survey so the customer has a good understanding of what equipment is required.

5. How many panels would I need?

This would be dependent on the size of the site and the customers requirements.

6. Do you demonstrate the equipment?

We will provide a demonstration on site.

7. How quickly could I get a demonstration?

An appointment will be booked at your earliest convenience.

8. How do I place my order?

An order can be placed once the quotation has been accepted.

9. How quickly can an order be fulfilled?

Supply and Installation would be dependable on your requirements and can be confirmed on receipt of order.

10. Can the radio system be installed without the need for re-decoration or refurbishment?

YES. As the system is wireless there are no cables to install so there is no disruption to the fabric of the building or decoration.

11. Do residents/patients have to be re-located during installation?

NO. There is virtually no disruption to the occupants of the buildings when the system is installed as there would be with a wired system.

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Warranty & Service

12. What's the warranty period?

Comprehensive 12 month warranty.

13. What cover can I expect while my system is under warranty?

• Engineer Visits (labour & materials), within 48 hours of fault report (dependent on nature of fault) 9.00am - 5.30pm, Monday to Friday.
• Repairs of call units and pagers at our service centre (excludes postage and packing).
• Access to our Manned Helpline 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

14. Do you do maintenance contracts?

YES - for more information on our maintenance packages or for a quotation, please contact our customer service team on 01364 651593.

15. What level of service does a maintenance contract guarantee?

Full parts, labour including weekend and public holiday callouts and an annual service plus new batteries for all call points together with access to our Technical Helpline is included.

16. What costs would be involved in a maintenance contract?

This will be dependant on the system you choose, for more information on our maintenance packages or for a quotation, please contact our customer service team on 01364 651593.

17. Is it recommendable to service my equipment annually?

We would recommend.

18. Do you service customers without maintenance?

YES but there will be a charges involved.

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Standards

19. Does the Radio Nurse Call System meet DTI standards?

YES it is type approved by the Radiocommunications Agency.

20. And what about European standards?

YES it meets the EMC, Low Voltage Safety directives and carries the CE mark.

21.  Do I need a licence?

NO

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The Product

22. The system is advertised as wireless - is the system totally wireless?

YES, in most cases, however there can be some cabling involved i.e. external receivers.

23. How is the system programmed?

Each transmitter is simply programmed using its buttons. The Main Control Panel is programmed by the installer.

24. What mains power will be required?

A 240v fused spur will be required at the location of each display panel.

25. Will the system link to my computer network to enable recording of events?

YES.

26. Where does the system need to be installed to give full coverage?

Location will be determined by you and the engineer will ensure coverage.

27. Who will carryout the survey for the installation?

Our Aid Call Sales Consultant.

28. What important information can be downloaded from the system?

With the optional call logger, a detailed report can then be compiled of the call history, enabling you to analyse call data as required, including:

• Call duration
• Call type
• User defined parameters
• Reports in alphanumeric and graphical format
• Maintenance call reporting
• Export option

29. How many events can the system capture?

CP3400 - 500 events and 50,000 with call logger.

30. What options of transmitter are available?

Pear Push model for resident/patient rooms. These units are normally sited next to the bed. Pull Cord for bathrooms, WC's, communal areas etc. Secure Unit for use with monitoring and staff location equipment.

31. Can a transmitter be moved to a new position?

YES, the transmitter can easily be moved and be re programmed with its new location.

32. What is the susceptibility of the system to false alarms due to interference of some sort?

Virtually none. Each radio message transmitted by the system is encoded and error checked.

33. How about interference from other radio signals, such as C.B. radio, mobile telephones etc., or conversely can the radio signals from the fire alarm system upset other equipment such as computers, pacemakers etc.?

Correctly designed equipment operating within the specification authorised by the DTI and tested to ensure compliance with the requirements of the EMC directive (CE mark) will not affect other equipment and will be immune to interference from other equipment outside its own frequency band.

34. What would be the effect of two transmitters operating at the same time?

The transmissions last a fraction of a second and are repeated at a random time so control panel will receive both calls.

35. Will a neighbouring system interfere with mine?

Each system is allocated its own unique 'site' code so that the detectors and control system will only 'talk' to each other and not to any nearby system.

36. What is the range of the system?

In open air, point to point, with a reasonable aerial system, this can be up to about 1Km. However, within a building, the range will depend upon the construction of the building. If necessary multiple receivers can be installed to adequately cover large buildings.

37. What would be the effect of an alteration to a building on the integrity of the alarm signal?

The system generates periodic test signals and is self monitoring. If any transmitter is unable to communicate with it receiver a maintenance condition will be shown indicating the missing detector.

38. Are there any major differences between a radio and a conventional wired system?

The radio system allows you to take advantage of a number of additional features available because of the use of wireless communication.

One major benefit is the lack of wiring so systems can be installed economically especially if multiple wards or buildings are to be linked.

Another major benefit is that all parts of the system operate entirely separately, communicating with each other only via a radio link. Therefore if any individual part of the system fails, unlike a conventional wired system, it does not prevent the rest of the system from operating normally.

If you need to change the design of a room the call point can be moved very easily by unscrewing & re-locating the mounting cradle - with a wired system you would need to extend the cables & surface mount them to the new location

39. Can the radio system be linked to an existing Nurse Call System and be used to extend it?

YES, it is common practice to interface other equipment by linking to old systems.

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Power/Batteries

40. How is the system powered?

Room units are powered by 4 AA batteries.

41. How long is the average battery life?

In the transmitters, approximately 18 months.

42. What happens when the batteries are exhausted?

A Low Battery signal is sent to the main control indicating. After this warning the transmitter will continue to operate for at least 6 weeks.

43. How do I change the battery?

By following the simple instructions in the end user manual, this will be supplied.

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Hospital Specific FAQ

1. How would you clean the units to prevent infection?

By standard wipe procedures.

2. Can the system be adapted to support additional features to care for handicapped/disabled patients?

YES - we have numerous additional triggering devices that can be added on to meet most needs.