Psychiatric foundation criticises emergency whistles for staff at Aarhus hospital
Aarhus University Hospital has faced criticism for issuing emergency whistles to staff on psychiatric wards after its electronic alarm system failed on Tuesday, reports Danish broadcaster DR.
The chair of the Danish Psychiatric Foundation, Torsten Bjørn Jacobsen, called the measure “almost the worst possible solution,” arguing that whistles belong “on the sports field—not in a hospital.”
“They should never use whistles again,” Jacobsen told DR. He warned the temporary fix could negatively impact patients, as staff may avoid vulnerable individuals when feeling unsafe. “It must be incredibly difficult to be a patient in these units if staff withdraw when they feel insecure,” he said.
Jacobsen suggested alternatives, such as halting new acute admissions, calling in extra personnel, or redistributing patients to other regional hospitals.
Charlotte Josefsen, health and hospital director at Aarhus University Hospital, acknowledged the whistles were an emergency measure but stressed they were not the only response. The hospital had also reassessed patient visits, postponed non-urgent tasks, and deployed additional security staff to the wards.
“We’ve asked department heads to evaluate which patients can be seen and whether anything can be cancelled or delayed,” Josefsen said. “We’ve also discussed where two staff members should be present for a task to ensure sufficient safety.”
The hospital expects the electronic alarm system to be restored by Thursday evening. Josefsen added that the whistle policy would be reviewed following public backlash: “Given the reaction, we need to discuss whether this is an acceptable option. We assessed it in the moment, but it must be evaluated.”
Ascom, the supplier of the faulty alarm system, told DR that “technical updates are occasionally necessary and have previously been carried out without issues. Our customer is currently investigating the cause of the error. Ascom is providing support and working closely with them to resolve the problem as quickly and effectively as possible.”