Located in Ballinasloe, Galway, the Creagh Suite in St Brigid’s Hospital offers long-stay, continuous care for residents living with the psychological and behavioural symptoms of dementia.

The 14-bed facility is designed for individuals who require ongoing care.

Staff at the Creagh Suite deliver therapeutic activities, carry out daily physical health monitoring, and offer continuous support to residents.  

Anticipating the challenge

Aggressive behaviour can occur in people experiencing the behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia.

Confusion, memory loss, hallucinations, and the physical pain associated with dementia can all contribute to a person behaving violently, often suddenly and unintentionally.

With Pinpoint’s staff safety systems installed, staff are reassured of their safety at work and know they can call for help in the event of any emergency

Consequently, Creagh Suite required a reliable, efficient security system to protect staff and thereby comply with Ireland’s health and safety legislation.

Pinpoint’s award-winning, easy-to-use safety system was chosen to meet the complex safety needs of the residents.

To minimise any interruptions to the daily running of the facility, the installation was carried out ahead of the residents moving into the building. 

Twin Code Perpetual PITs were given to all staff members.

Powered by a specialist energiser, these personal alarms could be used and recharged between shifts.

The Perpetual PITs have two call levels, Assistance and Emergency, which correlate to the severity of the incident in question.

By activating the alarm, infrared signals are transmitted to receiver units within the hospital, activating the system and alerting a response team to the exact location and type of call.

Doing so reduces the risk of an incident escalating and limits harm to the staff member.

The systems help us all stay safe and, crucially, meet the high requirements of health and safety legislation in Ireland

Every member of the team was given comprehensive training on how to use the system and the protocol in place for responding to incidents.

This was all carried out before the hospital opened to ensure staff were confident and competent in using the systems in case of an incident.

The results

With the approval of the HSE, the advanced security system superseded the legal safety requirements for St Brigid’s Hospital, providing reliable coverage of the Creagh Suite and garden area. 

Maria Donnellan, clinical nurse manager at the hospital, said: “With Pinpoint’s staff safety systems installed, staff are reassured of their safety at work and know they can call for help in the event of any emergency.

“If a resident becomes abusive toward a member of the team, or if a patient is choking, staff can quickly call for support and know it will soon be on its way.

“The systems help us all stay safe and, crucially, meet the high requirements of health and safety legislation in Ireland.”