At Kingsway Group, our mission is to aid clinical teams in improving patient safety within challenging mental health environments through innovative design that reduces risk.
Our history at Kingsway Group is dotted with carefully designed innovations in anti-ligature and anti-barricade technology, centred around the specific needs of clinical staff and service users. By considering these needs at every step of our process, and through close collaboration with our mental health partners and people with lived experience, we have been able to develop the widest range of life-safety Complete Door Systems available to meet the extensive demands of the most challenging environments.
In today’s blog post, we explore our SWING Anti-Barricade Complete Door System and the ways that it can reduce risk within these environments and improve the safety of service users.
What is SWING?
The SWING Anti-Barricade Complete Door System is a life-safety door system that provides staff with fast and controlled access to service user rooms in emergency situations, opening outwards within two seconds to overcome barricading incidents with no need to retract the lock bolt. Manufactured to our own exacting standards, SWING offers a versatile, safe, and durable anti-barricade solution with all the robustness of our proven-to-perform tri-laminate core doors.
How does it work?
The SWING Anti-Barricade Complete Door System features three key components that allow the door to open outwards during a barricading incident.
Firstly, the SwingStop provides normal single-action operation when locked and is secured by three locking points for high-strength performance. The SwingStop is controlled by one single key point using the Kingsway Staff Key. By unlocking the SwingStop, it will open away from the closing edge of the door leaf to allow the leaf to open outwards freely.
Secondly, the SwingThru Strike Plate ensures the door can swiftly open outwards even when the door has been locked from the inside by the service user. This crucial feature means that there is no need for secondary override tool kits to open the door outwards, saving crucial seconds during life-threatening incidents.
Thirdly, the continuous hinge, known as the SwingHinge, provides double-action capabilities to the door leaf whilst retaining anti-ligature design. When combined with the SwingStop and SwingThru Strike Plate, the SwingHinge allows staff to overcome barricading incidents quickly and effectively. The continuous hinge also adds to the door’s robustness, as it provides a continuous anchor point to the door frame that runs the entire length of the leaf.
Versatility
To ensure its suitability for a variety of circumstances within a mental health facility, SWING is available in single leaf or leaf and a half configurations. In normal operation the half leaf is securely locked at the top and bottom and can be simply opened using the Kingsway Staff Key to provide wide access when necessary.
Customisable finishes and hardware
Whilst the SWING system provides essential anti-barricade performance, it also delivers exceptional aesthetics that can help contribute to a therapeutic environment, creating a non-institutional space for the well being of service users. With bespoke combinations of Vision Panels, Finishes, and Door Hardware, SWING’s appearance can be customised to ensure its suitability for a wide range of service user requirements and locations within the ward environment.
With the understanding of colour’s role within mental health environments continuing to expand, we have made available an extensive range of coloured finishes to help develop less institutional spaces within mental health facilities.
Easy installation
As a Complete Door System, SWING offers a smooth and efficient installation process that makes it ideal for both new build or refurbishment projects. As part of our efforts to make things as easy as possible for our Trust partners, SWING arrives on site factory-fitted, tested, and pre-hung for simple installation.
Ligature alarm capabilities
To reduce the ligature risks present further, SWING is fully compatible with our Door Top Monitor Alarm, and our SENTRY Full Door Edge Ligature Alarm System. Designed through research with our NHS Trust partners to support clinical teams in improving the safety of those in their care, SENTRY is an assistive technology that alerts staff when a ligature attempt takes place against any of the door edges.
When fitted with a ligature alarm, SWING is fully compatible with our KOSMOS Smart Monitoring System, allowing clinical teams to fully monitor ligature alarms and record an audit trail of patient activity and staff observations to help management teams review patient care quality and highlight key trends on wards, such as service users leaving their rooms at specific times during the night or remaining in their room more so than usual.
Our SWING Anti-Barricade Complete Door System offers an innovative solution to the challenges of mental health environments, designed to reduce risk for and improve the safety of service users.
To find out more about SWING or any of our other solutions, reach out to us here and will we be pleased to talk and explore how we can help as your partner in patient safety.