In this issue of Healthcare Matters, we are pleased to feature Pinpoint as our Health & Safety Company of the Year.
When asked how he felt about receiving the award, Simon Hemming, CEO, said, “We are extremely proud to have been selected as Company of the Year for Health & Safety. For a business like Pinpoint, recognition such as this is particularly meaningful because it reflects not just the products we develop, but the people behind them and the work that goes into supporting customers every day.
“We have built Pinpoint for more than three decades around a very clear purpose – protecting those who care for others – and we are proud that this work continues to make a difference to organisations and frontline staff. The award is great recognition of everyone at Pinpoint, from the people designing and developing our systems, through to our manufacturing, installation, service and support teams.
“Most importantly, we see it as recognition of the commitment of our whole team and the trust our customers place in us.”
Staff safety remains a critical consideration across healthcare. From hospitals and mental health facilities to other frontline and high-risk environments, staff can face situations where the ability to summon assistance quickly can be vital. Against a backdrop of growing concern around workplace violence, aggression and frontline wellbeing, Pinpoint has continued to build on more than three decades of experience developing specialist staff safety systems.
Founded in 1992 following pioneering work at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield, the company was established with a clear purpose: to help healthcare workers summon assistance quickly and accurately when they need it. Since then, Pinpoint has developed its technology and expanded its reach, with its systems now protecting more than hundreds of thousands of people across over 2,500 locations worldwide. Its systems are designed and manufactured at its headquarters in Leven, Scotland.
For the business, the past year has been characterised by continued development and responsible growth, with investment in technology, people and customer relationships remaining central to its strategy.
“The past 12 months have been defined by responsible growth rather than rapid expansion,” said Simon. “Alongside continued investment in technology and customer support, Pinpoint has focused on evolving its products to meet the changing demands of frontline healthcare teams while strengthening relationships with organisations across the UK and international markets.”
That continued demand has also been reflected in the company’s sales performance. Pinpoint reports strong sales over the past 12 months, with particular interest from organisations looking to improve staff protection and emergency response capabilities. This has provided a platform for further investment in product development, technology and the wider business.
For healthcare providers, effective staff safety solutions need to operate reliably in demanding environments, be straightforward for staff to use and provide those responding to an incident with the information they need to act quickly.
Reliability has therefore remained central to Pinpoint’s approach. Its hardwired infrared technology is designed to minimise downtime and deliver an alert in less than 85 milliseconds, while pinpointing the location of an incident to support a rapid response. The technology is used across hospitals, mental health facilities and other environments where staff safety is critical.
Over the past 12 months, Pinpoint has continued to refine its staff safety solutions, ensuring its systems remain suited to modern working environments without compromising the characteristics customers have come to expect.
For frontline healthcare staff, that balance is particularly important. Working environments can be busy, unpredictable and constantly changing, meaning staff safety technology needs to fit naturally into the way teams operate rather than create additional complexity.
Pinpoint’s development programme has focused on practical improvements, responding to the requirements of organisations and the people who use its systems every day. Alongside the technology, the business has continued to expand its presence across the UK and internationally, while strengthening the service and support it provides to existing customers.
This wider approach is an important part of Pinpoint’s proposition. The company’s role does not end when a system is supplied and installed. It works with customers to understand their environment, identify their requirements and develop a staff safety solution appropriate to the setting in which it will be used.
A key area of development has been the P2 System, which represents the latest evolution of Pinpoint’s staff safety technology.
Designed around the needs of frontline staff, the P2 System combines a robust and discreet design with rapid and reliable alarm activation. It provides different levels of alert, enabling staff to call for assistance or raise an emergency alarm depending on the circumstances.
That flexibility can be particularly valuable in healthcare environments, where not every incident requires the same level of response. The P2 System is designed to support both assistance and emergency scenarios, helping organisations establish an appropriate response based on the nature of the incident.
Personal Infrared Transmitters, or PITs, allow staff to activate an alarm discreetly. The system then communicates the location and type of alarm to the relevant display and communication devices, helping response teams understand what has happened and where assistance is required.
Speed is another important element. Pinpoint’s infrared technology is designed to transmit an activation to the system’s display in less than 85 milliseconds. Advanced Receiver Units positioned throughout a building receive the signal and pass the relevant information to communication devices.
The P2 range is designed to provide a complete staff safety infrastructure rather than simply an individual alarm device. Its components include wearable PIT devices, the discreet P2 Badge PIT, call buttons and display units, alongside receiver units, over-door lights and mobile and PC communication options.
This approach allows organisations to configure systems around individual site requirements and, where appropriate, integrate them with other security technologies.
For Pinpoint, however, the technology is only one part of the solution.
“Our systems are designed specifically for environments where staff safety is critical, rather than being adapted from a general security product,” said Simon.
“When a member of staff activates an alarm, they need to know that the call will be received quickly and that the response team will be given clear information about where the incident is taking place and the level of assistance required.”
“Our technology is designed to provide rapid, accurate location identification, while our systems can be configured to suit different environments and integrated with other technologies such as CCTV, access control, door entry and other security systems.”
“We have more than 30 years of experience developing staff safety systems and working directly with organisations where workplace safety is critical. That experience means we understand that every environment is different and that successful staff safety isn’t simply about installing an alarm, it is about creating a system that works for the people who will use it.”
This understanding of individual environments is reflected in the service Pinpoint provides around its technology. System design, installation, maintenance and ongoing technical support form part of the company’s wider offering, providing customers with continuity throughout the life of their system.
“We also place a strong emphasis on long-term relationships. We don’t simply supply a system and walk away; we support our customers throughout the life of their system,” said Simon.
“A key part of this is the support we provide beyond the initial installation. Through Pinpoint Priority Service, our dedicated installation and system support branch, we have an experienced team of in-house installation and security engineers who provide expert installation, maintenance and ongoing technical support.”
“This means customers have access to support throughout the lifetime of their system, rather than simply receiving a product and being left to manage it themselves. We have also strengthened our team of regional Account Managers, making it easier for customers to have a dedicated and accessible point of contact who understands their organisation, their environment and their ongoing requirements.”
“This combination of specialist technology, in-house expertise and accessible, long-term customer support is a key part of what sets Pinpoint apart.”
For healthcare organisations, that long-term approach is particularly significant. Staff safety systems operate in environments where reliability is essential and requirements can change over time. New buildings, working practices and security requirements can all influence how a system needs to operate.
By working with customers beyond the initial installation, Pinpoint aims to ensure its systems continue to meet those requirements. Its emphasis on maintenance and technical support also reflects the importance of keeping safety infrastructure operational throughout its working life.
Looking ahead, Pinpoint’s priorities are centred on continued improvement, sustainable growth and responding to the changing needs of frontline workers. In the short term, the company plans to continue developing its products and services while investing in the people and technology required to support the next stage of its growth.
For Pinpoint, innovation is not about introducing technology for its own sake. Future development will continue to be driven by practical challenges, with an emphasis on finding effective ways to protect staff and support the organisations responsible for their safety.
“We want to continue developing our systems in response to the changing needs of frontline workers and the organisations responsible for their safety,” said Simon. “Innovation will remain an important part of this, but it will always be driven by a practical purpose: finding the best ways to protect people.”
There are also opportunities for Pinpoint to continue growing both within the UK and internationally. As awareness of workplace violence and staff safety increases, organisations across healthcare and other frontline sectors are increasingly looking at how technology and wider support can help protect their employees.
For Pinpoint, the ambition is to build on its reputation for quality, reliability and expertise while becoming an increasingly trusted partner for organisations looking to protect their people.
That means continuing to listen to customers and understand how their environments and requirements are changing, while developing systems that can respond to those needs. It also means maintaining the long-term relationships that have become an important part of the company’s approach.
Ultimately, Pinpoint’s future strategy remains closely connected to the purpose that has guided the business since its foundation. Technology will continue to evolve and the challenges facing frontline staff will develop, but the fundamental requirement for people to feel safe at work remains.
For healthcare organisations in particular, safeguarding staff is an essential part of creating environments where people can deliver care with confidence. Effective staff safety technology can form an important part of that wider approach, providing employees with a means of calling for assistance and giving organisations the tools to respond when incidents occur.
In closing, Simon added, “We are proud of where Pinpoint is today, but we are equally focused on where we can go next.”
“Workplace violence remains a rising issue across healthcare and other frontline sectors, and the need for effective staff safety solutions isn’t going away.”
“Our role is to continue listening to the organisations and people who rely on us, understand the challenges they face and develop solutions that genuinely help. After more than 30 years, our purpose remains remarkably simple: protecting those who care for others.”
“That is what drives our innovation, our approach to quality and the relationships we build with our customers. Being recognised as Company of the Year is a fantastic milestone, but for us it is also motivation to keep moving forward.”
For more information, please see below:
T +44 (0)1333 421706
info@pinpointlimited.com
www.pinpoint.ltd.uk