Case study - Marie Curie Cancer Care

The need
Marie Curie Cancer Care is dedicated to maximising the quality of life for
cancer patients throughout the UK. While the charity operates 10 hospices,
Marie Curie also employs a high number of visiting Nurses responsible for
providing the highest quality of care to patients in their own homes. From
the most remote rural communuties to large urban areas, the Nurses work
alone across a diverse range of environments. Acknowledging its
responsibilities under H&S legislation and duty of care and by identifying
and understanding specific risks encountered by its lone workers, Marie
Curie investigated a range of safety systems before deciding on solutions
provided by Argyll (Argyll).

The Nurses may work at any hour of the day, but generally at night and
visiting patients for as long as 8 or 9 hours at a time. As they must travel
alone and particularly after dark, the role carries with it a risk of facing
aggression or violence from members of the public - either in the street or
within places of residence. Following risk assessments, Marie Curie
identified a need to establish effective time and risk management for its
Nurses. It also required access to information on their safety and
whereabouts at all times.

The solution
Utilising CommuniCare, Argyll’s sophisticated lone worker safety
monitoring solution, the Marie Curie Nurses are given the means to
summon assistance should they find themselves in danger. Through
Argyll’s integrated Control Room, Marie Curie manages and monitors its
Nurse’s locations and time at risk and provides them with an effective
duress facility 24/7.

How it works
CommuniCare allows the Nurses to notify Argyll while they are out ‘on-shift’ and potentially at risk. Time-based reminders ensure that the Nurses
interact periodically and notify Argyll that all is well. However, should a
Nurse encounter difficulties and miss a reminder, the Argyll control room
will follow up, thus ensuring their personal safety.

Fundamentally, should a Nurse experience jeopardy, they are a single
button-press away from summoning assistance - quickly and discreetly.
Using a preconfigured button on their mobile phone, they can issue a
duress signal which instantly alerts Argyll’s 24/7 manned control room and
simultaneously opens a voice channel enabling Operators to listen in.
Trained Operators then put into effect an agreed incident management
procedure and, if required, use existing links with the Police to ensure a
swift response. Sophisticated voice recording ensures that every incident is captured and can be produced as evidence if required.

Why Argyll
The Nurses feel the benefit of this high level of support, giving them the
reassurance needed to get on with the job. Marie Curie recently carried out a survey asking the Nurses’ for feedback:
• “I have had a few problems [understanding the technology]. Last time I
spoke with someone from CommuniCare he was patient, helpful, gave me
time to clarify things - I have completed confidence in CommuniCare.”
• “Finding it very reassuring as a service and helps you to feel much more
relaxed in relation to personal safety.”
• “I think it is an excellent system and very easy to use. It gives my family and I peace of mind about working in the sometimes isolated areas that I work in.”

Marie Curie Cancer Care is just one of many organisations to have chosen
Argyll because of its experience, expertise, flexibility and range of services and devices. Current clients include a variety of commercial
companies, charities and public sector organisations, including the Capita
Group PLC, Greater Glasgow Health Board, Humbercare Ltd, London
Borough of Enfield and Sacro.

Argyll operates at the forefront of mobile technology and software and works in partnership with a number of high profile organisations including mobile operators and device manufacturers. The company continually invests in failsafe and uninterruptible IT systems and operates an integrated control room.

Argyll provides the best technical means of minimising risk and monitoring personal safety. Its services aid compliance with current Health & Safety legislation, can be customised to your organisational requirements and are compatible with client’s existing handsets, PDA, BlackBerry.

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