About Pinpoint

Pinpoint’s story began in the late ’80s when Pinderfields Hospital realized they had a serious problem due to a string of violent attacks on staff members. Nurses were calling in sick, others moving to different professions. Fear of workplace violence was causing a slew of problems for the hospital, and staff morale was low. The hospital’s management team knew that they had to find a solution.

The hospital realized their existing system didn’t work reliably, and they couldn’t find another commercially available solution. So, they asked their in-house engineering team to help solve the problem. After careful thought, they, with the help of a local electronics company, built a system that featured a wearable device that provided an easy way for doctors and nurses to summon help if needed. After putting the system through rigorous testing at the hospital, they applied for and were granted a patent for the solution.

Unfortunately, the electronics company in Scotland fell on hard times. Fortunately, one of their former employees, John Waring, saw that this product had great potential. He formed Pinpoint to develop and bring to market the patented inventions of the design team working at Pinderfields Hospital in Huddersfield, England. Their product design brief outlined a system that would pinpoint an incident’s location, be easy to activate under extreme stress, and be difficult to activate accidentally. The Wakefield Health Authority was granted a patent for the technology. This patent was subsequently assigned to Pinpoint.

John named his new company Pinpoint because he felt the name accurately described the product’s ability to identify the exact location of the distress call. He used his wits, enthusiasm, and vision to build a product that would give peace of mind to healthcare workers and reduce the risk of workplace violence. In 1992 Pinpoint Limited was incorporated in Scotland. It didn’t take long before Pinpoint landed its first customer, Daleham Hospital in Swiss Cottage, UK.

Pinpoint’s technology was well received, and it became the go-to solution for workplace violence in the UK. In less than ten years, Pinpoint achieved an 80% market share in the UK. John knew that he would have to penetrate markets around the world to continue to grow. So, in 2008, John decided to bring his solution to North America. It didn’t take long before he found his first customer: St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His next customer was the Mayo Clinic in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. In a few short years, thirty healthcare systems in the US were using Pinpoint.

In December of 2017, John passed away, and his son Dan took over the reins of the company. Dan is a stickler for having the best products and services in the staff duress industry. Dan’s focus is on driving product innovation and bringing the Pinpoint solution to all corners of the globe. In 2018 Pinpoint established an office in Hauppauge, New York. Despite the setback caused by the pandemic, Pinpoint is proud to have its products in over fifty healthcare systems in the US and Canada.

Pinpoint’s solution is used in over 3,000 locations around the world. More than one million people carry our panic alarms with them daily. While it’s hard to know the exact numbers, our customers tell us that Pinpoint dramatically reduces the occurrence of violent attacks and that their staff members feel safe. We take great pride in knowing that our product has such a positive impact on the lives of people who work in high-risk environments.

Pinpoint products are designed and manufactured at our headquarters in Leven, Scotland. We employ over one hundred people and have offices in England, Ireland, and the United States.