A lone worker device – which helped to save the life of a member of staff at Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) – could win a national health award on Tuesday.
HPFT has been shortlisted in the mental health category of the 2017 Patient Safety Awards. The ceremony is in Manchester on Tuesday 4 July.
In 2016 a member of HPFT staff was involved in a severe traffic accident. He was unable to reach his phone, which had been thrown across the car, but instead used the device on his person to raise the alarm.
The devices are worn by lone workers – staff who go out into the community to visit service users in their homes, or at a clinic, on their own in high-risk environments.
The devices have a GPS function embedded and enable the wearer to discreetly alert a remote monitoring centre that is manned round the clock, 365 days a year. A single push of a button ensures no suspicion is aroused.
By listening to and capturing everything that happens during an incident, monitoring staff at the call centre can respond appropriately. This could include alerting the emergency services and/or colleagues/supervisors.
Dennis Hunt, Health, Safety and Security Manager Facilities at HPFT, was instrumental in introducing the devices. He also helps staff to understand the importance of the devices and that they are being used correctly.