David Gaffney, Risk Manager at Sheffield Primary Care Trust, describes how and why one NHS trust went about selecting a lone worker device.
Last year, as part of reorganisation across the National Health Service, four trusts in the city merged into one. The story begins two years ago when Dave was risk manager – which covers security management, fire, and health and safety – at one of the now merged trusts. Some staff – such as district and community nurses – were raising issues about working on their own in some parts of the city, late at night. The trust after a presentation by CellClear sales manager Bradley Worboys decided to trial the company’s Romad product, with 100 staff for a year. It went live in October. While a survey earlier this year found roughly similar percentages of people did and did not feel safer with the device, a majority wanted the trust to continue providing it. Most people reported that they only used the device occasionally, though a fifth said they used it three to five times a week, and a handful even more often. Dave pointed out – as borne out by the staff survey – that such a product has to be extremely simple to use. An emergency call button (Red Alert) when pressed initiates a response from an operator who will assess the incident by a voice channel on the device. The product vibrates to acknowledge the alert activation. Operators work according to a protocol, and will call police if a situation escalates. And as Dave adds, if a user has been jumpy and pressed the button in a false alarm, the user can press again and speak into the microphone to say so. CellClear report that the Nomad device can be worn on a belt or bag clip, attached to a lanyard or kept in the hand or pocket. It uses mobile phone technology to enable remote recording and location of an incident, or to summon help.
NEC launch
CellClear add that they are launching a new GPS device at the Health & Safety Expo at the NEC from May 22 to 24.
