What Nurse Call Accessories can you add to your Altra System?

Modern nurse call systems should always come equipped with a wide variety of optional features, accessories, and general add-ons – and our Altra range of nurse call solutions is no different. By customising our base systems with nurse call accessories, managers and staff leaders can take the foundational excellence of our systems and build on them, making them a perfect match for their hospitals or care home settings – and the staff that will be using them.

Our Altra Range of nurse call systems has been designed to allow healthcare providers to tailor them to suit the unique demands of their environments. From wearable pendants and pressure mats to touch displays and door monitoring solutions, Altra accessories help your care teams to create a more connected and proactive care environment. In this article, we will explore the different nurse call accessories available for the Altra Range, how they support hospitals and care homes, and the benefits of customising a nurse call system to meet operational needs.

What is the Altra Range of Nurse Call Systems?

Our Altra Range is a series of modern nurse call solutions designed to support hospitals and care homes alike. Built around things like smartphone connectivity, wireless functionality, and hybrid technology, this range has been developed to help healthcare providers improve their response times, enhance safety, and generally streamline their day-to-day operations. The range consists of two core systems: Altra Health and Altra Care.

Altra Health

Altra Health is our system designed for hospitals, NHS trusts, and specialist wards. These environments require communication tools that are robust and reliable, so a typical Altra Health system would include:

1. Call Buttons: Patients can quickly alert staff through bedside call buttons, pear push leads, and emergency switches, ensuring help can be requested immediately.
2. Wearable alarms and wireless monitoring: Wireless accessories allow hospitals to improve their patient’s ability to stay mobile, while still maintaining access to the support they need.
3. Altra Touch Display Panels: Calls and alerts are logged through Altra Touch panels and displayed across strategically positioned mini-screens throughout the ward. These all help staff respond efficiently and prioritise urgent requests.
4. HTM 08-03 compliant functionality: The Altra Range has been designed to support healthcare compliance requirements, making it suitable for demanding clinical environments.

Altra Care

Altra Care has been specifically designed for residential care homes, nursing homes, and assisted living environments. The system focuses heavily on resident well-being, with prominent features like fall prevention solutions. An Altra Care system will typically include:

1. Wireless Call Points: Residents can easily request assistance from bedrooms, bathrooms, or communal areas using intuitive wireless devices.
2. Integrated Fall Detection and Movement Monitoring: Built-in wireless sensors and assistive technologies help care providers monitor resident activity and identify potential risks earlier.
3. Smart Integration: Calls can be sent directly to staff mobile devices or pagers, ensuring carers receive alerts wherever they are within the home.
4. Personalised Reporting: The Altra Touch interface provides detailed reporting tools that help operators monitor response times, staff activity, and care performance.

Nurse Call Accessories for the Altra Range

One of the most valuable aspects of the Altra Range is the ability to customise the system using a wide variety of nurse call accessories. Courtney Thorne offers accessories that improve communication, enhance resident monitoring, reduce fall risks, and support more efficient staff workflows. Below are some of the most important accessory options available for the Altra system.

Wearable Pendants and Personal Call Devices

Wearable call devices, such as pendants that can be worn around the neck or wrist, provide residents and patients with immediate access to assistance. Your Altra system can be outfitted with wearable call devices like this to allow users the opportunity to request help from anywhere in your facility. Benefits of accessorising your system with wearable technology include:

1. Improved user independence: Users can request assistance without needing to reach a wall-mounted call point, helping those with mobility challenges maintain confidence and independence.
2. Fall detection support: Certain wearable solutions within the Altra ecosystem can alert staff if a patient or resident suffers a fall, enabling faster response times and potentially reducing the severity of injuries.
3. Enhanced flexibility for staff: Staff are able to monitor residents more effectively without restricting their movement or engaging in constant supervision.

Pear Push Leads and Bedside Call Accessories

Pear push leads remain one of the most widely used nurse call accessories across hospitals and care homes. These bedside accessories allow residents or patients to request assistance from beds or chairs with a simple button press. Our Altra call leads are both dustproof and resistant to water immersion, with other benefits including:

1. Simple and accessible operation: The large-button design makes the devices easy to use for elderly residents and patients with limited dexterity.
2. Reliable bedside communication: Residents can quickly summon assistance without needing to move, which is particularly important for patients recovering from surgery or residents with mobility concerns.
3. Improved hygiene and durability: Waterproof and antimicrobial designs help support infection prevention protocols in healthcare environments.

Touchscreen Display Panels

Display technology plays a critical role in helping staff respond quickly and manage multiple calls simultaneously. Within Altra systems, the Altra Touch panel acts as the central management hub for the nurse call system, while Altra Mini Touch displays can be installed in key communal or staff areas. These accessories offer several advantages when utilised, including:

1. Real-time call visibility: Staff can instantly view incoming calls, emergency alerts, and assistance requests from across the building.
2. Prioritisation of urgent incidents: Emergency calls can be clearly identified and prioritised, ensuring staff respond rapidly to critical situations.
3. Operational reporting and monitoring: Management teams can access data relating to call response times and staff activity, supporting compliance and service improvement.
4. Improved workflow coordination: Staff working across larger sites can remain informed without needing to return repeatedly to a central station.

Door Monitoring and Wandering Prevention Accessories

Resident safety is one of the biggest priorities in any care environment, particularly when supporting individuals living with dementia or any other kind of cognitive impairment. The Altra Guard accessory monitors door activity and alerts staff when doors are opened unexpectedly, and provides some key advantages, such as:

1. Prevention of wandering incidents: Residents who are vulnerable to wandering can be monitored more effectively, helping to reduce safeguarding risks.
2. Reduced risk of falls and accidents: Staff receive alerts before residents move into unsafe or unsupervised areas.
3. Improved security management: Operators can maintain greater oversight of entrances, exits, and restricted areas throughout a facility.

Pressure Mats and Fall Prevention Solutions

Falls remain one of the most significant risks within care settings. Pressure monitoring accessories can help staff identify unexpected movements, meaning they can step in quicker. These accessories are designed to trigger alerts when pressure is applied or removed, and can be connected directly to the Altra system for:

1. Earlier detection of movement: Staff can be alerted when residents attempt to leave beds or chairs independently.
2. Reduced fall risks: Faster intervention helps minimise the likelihood of slips, trips, and falls.
3. Additional reassurance for staff: Care teams gain improved visibility of vulnerable residents without intrusive supervision.

Paging Systems and Staff Notification Accessories

Efficient communication between staff members is essential within hospitals and large care homes. Our pagers allow staff to receive alerts remotely without needing to remain near display panels. This can lead to:

1. Faster response times: Alerts can be delivered directly to carers and nurses while they are moving throughout the building.
2. Reduced noise levels: Silent pager notifications can help create calmer environments, particularly during overnight periods.
3. Better task management: Staff can manage multiple priorities more effectively without missing important alerts.

Wireless Transmitters and Connectivity Accessories

Wireless connectivity devices are accessories that help ensure all the different devices within the Altra system can communicate seamlessly within the overall nurse call network. 

Advantages of these accessories include:

1. Expanded system coverage: Signal boosters can improve communication reliability across larger or more complex buildings.
2. Support for future expansion: Additional devices and accessories can be integrated as operational requirements evolve.
3. Reliable emergency communication: Strong connectivity helps ensure calls are delivered without delay or interference.

Final Thoughts on Altra Accessories

Our Courtney Thorne Altra Range offers far more than a standard nurse call system. Through a wide selection of accessories and integrated technologies, hospitals and care homes can create tailored environments with improved communication, safety, and efficiency. From wearable pendants and pressure mats to touchscreen displays and wireless paging systems, each accessory plays a valuable role in enhancing day-to-day care delivery. By accessorising the Altra Range, healthcare providers can build scalable, future-ready nurse call systems designed around the needs of both staff and residents.

For organisations looking to improve patient safety, streamline workflows, and create more responsive care environments, the Altra Range provides a highly adaptable solution. To learn more about the Altra Range or discuss the most suitable nurse call accessories for a healthcare environment, get in touch with Courtney Thorne today.

Written by

Barry Vacher

Date

29.05.26