Staff hotline available to report construction noise impacting patient care

Facilities Operations has launched a staff hotline to assist with noise or other construction-related issues that impact patient care. Any staff member who has concerns related to construction and the impact it is having on patient care can contact the hotline at Ext. 4-5000 and request a facilities operations manager to come on site to assess the situation. The facilities operations manager will determine if the construction/noise should be halted.

Examples of when to use this process include:

• When noise is so loud it is impacting the wellbeing of the patient
• When a patient is going through end-of-life care and the noise is impacting their experience
• When the dust is causing respiratory or other issues

This hotline is available 24/7. Staff members contacting Facilities Operation (Ext. 4-5000) should have the following information available:

1. Name of staff member reporting concern
2. Call back number and an alternate contact person/number in the event staff member is not available
3. Location of noise (building/unit)
4. Description of noise (hammering, items moving, drilling, banging, etc.)
5. How long has the noise been going on? (Past week, today only, etc.). If it has been ongoing, how is the noise different today?
6. Where does the noise seem to be coming from?
7. Is the noise constant or sporadic?
8. What impact is it currently having on patient care?

This hotline is for staff use only, however, if a patient or family member complains, the staff member can contact the hotline if the staff member feels the concern warrants a need to make changes. The staff member should then contact Family Advocacy and inform them of the patient/family concerns.

Family Advocacy will be the liaison between Facility Operations and the patient/family. If the staff member does not feel that the degree of noise warrants construction to be halted, the staff member should contact Family Advocacy (Ext. 4-1919) to inform them of the family’s concern. Family Advocacy will follow up with the family to ensure proper communication has been provided.