Evacuation support for people with reduced mobility
Northampton General Hospital (NGH) is an acute hospital with 790 beds and a 24-hour Emergency Department (A&E).
In addition to the full range of district general hospital care, NGH also provides some specialist services including cancer and stroke services for the county.
It has inpatient, day case, diagnostic, maternity and outpatient facilities with a dedicated children’s ward and outpatients.
Located in the East Midlands, NGH delivers high-quality care to approximately 300,000 patients every year.
The Challenge
The hospital has a large number of refuge areas across its estate in many different buildings. The challenge was to provide a communications link to each of these locations across a 9.62 hectares site (that’s roughly the same size as 14 standard football pitches).
It was also identified that staff-only areas, such as plant and service areas, would benefit from a dedicated communications system.
A site risk assessment recommended that all emergency refuge areas should have a reliable communication solution to support responders during an emergency.
The chosen solution needed to cover the entire hospital campus and offer the capability to scale and upgrade as new buildings and developments are added. Any installation works would also need to be carried out in a live hospital environment, so minimising disruption was vital.
The Solution
During a CPD event, the UHN Fire Safety Advisor met an industry peer who recommended Alerter Group’s Refuge Alerter product.
Several alternative options were evaluated; however the Refuge Alerter solution successfully met all identified requirements. The radio-based system requires minimal electrical wiring (power to units only) and allows communication points to be easily retrofitted into both existing and future locations.
The system can support up to 999 refuge outstations across multiple buildings. Key product benefits included reliability and resilience, recognising the critical role communication plays in emergency evacuation procedures. Refuge Alerter uses an Ofcom licenced radio frequency, meaning it can continue to function even if WiFi or phone signals are unavailable.
The Result
To date, 88 outstations have been installed across multiple buildings throughout the hospital site. These outstations connect wirelessly to a centralised master station, enabling responders to speak remotely with individuals in refuge areas who require assistance.
In addition, a portable refuge communicator unit has been introduced, which allows responders and building managers to communicate with both outstations and the master station while on the move.
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Conclusion
Mark Ainge, UHN's Fire Safety Advisor, explained:
“UHN is pleased with the solution delivered, as it enhances the safety of our patients, visitors and colleagues across our hospital campus.”
The Refuge Alerter system is now a key part of UHN's fire safety strategy, ensuring that staff, patients and visitors benefit from inclusive, reliable emergency communication systems designed to meet diverse needs.
