Hybrid
Nurse Call Systems
Discover Courtney Thorne’s full range of hybrid nurse call systems & solutions; built for the specific needs of hospitals & care homes across the UK.
At Courtney Thorne, we have been delivering the UK’s foremost nurse call products and solutions as an industry leader for well over 40 years. We provide healthcare technology for care homes and hospitals that is reliable, intuitive, and efficient.
Principle among these solutions are our hybrid nurse call systems; a modern nurse call system that combines the reliability of a hard-wired infrastructure, with the flexibility and adaptability of a wireless system.
On this page, you can learn more about how a hybrid nurse call system works, how they are different from wired and wireless solutions, and why you should choose a Courtney Thorne system in order to make use of this modern hybrid nurse call technology.
How does a Hybrid Nurse Call System work?
Our hybrid nurse call systems work by combining the reliability of wired infrastructure, such as bedhead panels and pull cords, with the flexibility of wireless Category 1 radio communication. When a patient presses a call button or activates a sensor, a signal is carried either through Ethernet cabling or securely via our dedicated 869.2 MHz wireless network, ensuring robust, interference‑resistant transmission. Alerts then appear on touchscreen panels, over‑door lights, and staff devices like smartphones, giving clear, real‑time information on call source, location, and urgency. Our hybrid nurse call systems are built to ensure both consistent performance and the space to be optimised further in the future, helping teams of nurses to respond much more effectively to their patient’s needs.
What are the Components of a Hybrid Nurse Call System?
A hybrid nurse call system, including the solutions offered in our product range, is comprised of various different pieces of modern nurse call technology; including the following:
| Hybrid NCS Component | Component Description |
|---|---|
| Call Units | Call buttons placed in or near highly-trafficked areas such as bedsides that allow the patient to call for help from nurses or carers. |
| Radio Technology | Radio retransmitting devices and wearable receivers that allow for calls to be made and answered wirelessly from anywhere in the facility. |
| Overdoor Lights | Mounted outside patient rooms, these lights signal call status and priority levels by using different colours depending on the emergency. |
| Display Panels | Large and mini touchscreen displays in corridors or staff areas that show the real-time status of calls across the ward or unit. |
| Pull Cords & Push Buttons | Commonly located in patient-accessible areas like bathrooms, these allow for calls when the patient is away from their bed. |
| Smartphone Integration | Via the Altra Go app, our hybrid nurse call systems can integrate with staff smartphones to allow for call alerts to be received with more efficiency. |
| Remote Reporting | Our CT Cloud platform improves efficiency and compliance to standards by bringing detailed, actionable analytics to staff. |
| Integration | Our hybrid nurse call systems can be integrated with any existing healthcare technologies to improve clinical documentation and workflow. |
| Fall Detection | Integrated motion or pressure sensors that automatically raise an alert if a patient falls or leaves their bed unexpectedly. |
| Wiring Infrastructure | The physical backbone that connects all of the wired components of our hybrid nurse call systems, using structured or low-voltage cabling. |
What are the key differences between wired, wireless, and hybrid nurse call systems?
Nurse call systems can be easily defined by the technology they use; with this in mind, there are two other types of systems to be aware of: wired nurse call systems, and wireless nurse call systems. A wired system relies on a hard-wired infrastructure or cabling in its engineering, while a wireless system is one that only utilises modern, wireless technology in its installation and maintenance. Here are the key differences between these three systems:
- Installation: A hybrid nurse call system contains elements from both wired and wireless call bell systems, allowing for a more flexible installation that is based on the needs of your unique facility.
- Maintenance and Reliability: A hybrid nurse call system leverages the stability of wired systems and the adaptability of wireless ones, though careful planning can be required to properly maintain both technologies.
- Flexibility: A hybrid nurse call system can be difficult to move or update, dependent on the amount of physical cabling required in its installation. They tend to be more flexible overall than wired solutions.
Cost: Compared to wired or wireless solutions, a hybrid nurse call system can be optimised by strategically deploying the two elements to balance budget considerations.
Why choose a Courtney Thorne hybrid nurse call system?
Scalable Flexibility
With a Courtney Thorne hybrid nurse call system, you are not restricted to one type of healthcare technology. The hybrid architectures of these systems allow for the expansion or reconfiguration of your system as the needs of your facility evolve; whether this be due to increased volume of patients, a building expansion, or technology upgrades.
Operational Efficiency
A hybrid nurse call system can revolutionise the efficiency of your care, helping your staff to optimise their workflows, access a greater depth of reporting and analytics via integration, mobilise quicker response times, and improve the level of communication overall between patients and staff members.
Dependable Reliability
Our hybrid nurse call systems enable full compliance with important UK health standards, such as the Department of Health’s HTM 08-03 guidelines; the standard for safety and performance in UK healthcare settings. These hybrid nurse call systems help your healthcare organisation to both prove and maintain compliance to these standards with greater efficiency.
Better Care
Hybrid nurse call systems enable multiple modes of calling (wired buttons, wireless pendants, sensors), ensuring that patients and residents can always reach staff. By offering more options and faster responses, hybrid nurse call systems support autonomy, dignity, and satisfaction, factors that are especially important in long-term healthcare settings.
By reading the case studies linked below, you can explore the successful implementation and results of our hybrid nurse call systems, when installed in care homes, hospitals, and other healthcare organisations across the UK and worldwide.
Care Home Nightingale Hammerson
London
Care Home Montreux Living
East Sussex, Surrey & Kent
Care Home Springcare
Cheshire, Shropshire and the Wirral
Care Home The Dementia Service Development Centre (DSDC), University of Scotland
University of Stirling, Scotland
Care Home Help for Heroes Recovery Centre
Tidworth, Wiltshire
Courtney Thorne Nurse Call System FAQs
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Are hybrid nurse call systems reliable?
Yes, hybrid nurse call systems from Courtney Thorne are designed with high reliability in mind. They combine the robustness of wired infrastructure with the flexibility of wireless communication, ensuring continuous operation even if one component fails. Our hybrid nurse call systems are also Made in Britain with the best of British engineering, and use industrial-grade materials that meet stringent healthcare safety standards. In order to help support the ongoing performance of our hybrid nurse call systems, we also offer full service contracts and warranties, giving you peace of mind that any system you receive from us will remain in excellent working order in the long term.
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What is the typical range of a hybrid nurse call system?
The wireless components of our hybrid nurse call systems operate on secure frequencies and offer extensive coverage suitable for care homes, hospitals, and large healthcare facilities. The typical range is optimised through the use of strategically placed repeaters and base stations, ensuring full signal penetration across multiple floors and building types. While specific distances can vary, our hybrid nurse call systems are engineered using wireless technology to accommodate both compact and large-scale sites without any significant signal dropouts.
At Courtney Thorne, we understand that every healthcare organisation will have different requirements from their hybrid nurse call system. For this reason, we invite you to contact us and discuss these needs in closer detail. Our support team is available to you to provide assistance in identifying and understanding what your system requires, and also to recommend appropriate next steps.
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How is a hybrid nurse call system installed?
A hybrid nurse call system incorporates elements of physical, wired technology and more modern wireless components in its installation. For a successful installation, we follow the steps below:
- After a detailed site assessment conducted by our team of engineers, your system will then be tailored for the specific operational needs of your facility – this will include deciding between different coverage options.
- The next step will be installing the various component pieces of the hybrid nurse call system, such as call points, pull cords, overdoor lights, and staff receivers. In hybrid systems, wireless devices are installed in areas where more physical cabling is impractical, while core network components may remain wired for greater reliability in the long run.
- If applicable, the system will then be integrated with any existing infrastructures, tested, before finally being handed over with some user guides and staff training modules (if desired).
Throughout the installation process, careful planning is required to ensure the optimal placement of devices and adherence to healthcare standards. Once installed, your hybrid nurse call system will provide a stable, permanent communication network within your facility.
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What maintenance is required for hybrid nurse call systems?
Our hybrid nurse call systems are built for minimal upkeep but benefit from regular preventive maintenance to ensure peak performance. Routine tasks include things like battery checks or replacements (for the wireless components), firmware updates, regular alarm testing, and general inspections of all devices. Many faults can even be detected remotely via our software, which can help reduce the number of on-site service calls you need. To help you maintain our hybrid nurse call systems, we also offer annual service contracts, which are available in four levels of cover while being fully CQC-compliant.
Our levels of cover include preventative maintenance, system certification, free battery replacements, remote diagnostics, priority repair services, and access to loan equipment during repairs. We can also offer you the services of our dedicated Technical Assistance Centre, which is open weekdays, with a 24-hour Emergency Helpline for contract clients, as well as detailed user guides to aid in the troubleshooting of our hybrid nurse call systems.
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Are hybrid nurse call systems compliant with healthcare regulations?
All of our hybrid nurse call systems are designed to fully comply with the UK’s healthcare regulations, such as the Department of Health’s HTM 08-03 guidelines.
Our nurse call products are all intentionally designed to adhere to these requirements by prioritising safety, performance, and integration within healthcare environments. By operating with strict adherence to these guidelines, you can rest assured that your system is safe and suitable for all patient care settings.
