Psychiatric alarm system fails for third time at Aalborg hospital

Aalborg University Hospital’s psychiatric alarm system failed for the third time in months, state broadcaster DR reports.

The latest failure was detected during a test in the early hours of Sunday. Staff were not informed for several hours, despite procedures requiring immediate notification.

In May, a patient assaulted staff at the hospital’s forensic psychiatric unit while the alarm system was down, delaying help. Several employees required hospital treatment and were later placed on long-term sick leave.

Hospital director Lars Dahl Pedersen called the situation “very regrettable” and confirmed the fault has been fixed. He added that staff must now be notified immediately of any future failures.

Regional politicians are demanding action. Susanne Flydtkjær of the North Jutland regional council said a new supplier or alternative solutions may be necessary, as repeated failures are unacceptable.

Council member Lene Linnemann (SF) is investigating whether the region is legally bound to its current alarm system provider. She argued that backup systems are essential, as no alarm can be guaranteed faultless.

Jesper Kristensen, director of IT firm Tunstall, which supplies the system, declined an interview but stated in writing that the weekend fault has been resolved. He acknowledged staff concerns and said trust would take time to rebuild, adding that monitoring has been increased.