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Marie Curie nurses safety is given top priority with Argyll's CommuniCare lone worker solution One of the UK’s largest charities, Marie Curie Cancer Care has put the welfare of its 2,700 nurses at the heart of its health and safety policy by adopting CommuniCare for a fourth successive year. A sophisticated lone worker safety monitoring solution from Argyll, the UK’s market leader in mobile personnel monitoring, the CommuniCare service is accessible by all 2,700 nurses and is used by up to 350 personnel at any one time. “Our nurses are working day and night and visit patients for as long as nine hours at a time”, said Yvonne Hastings, Caring Services Manager for Nursing Operations at Marie Curie Cancer Care. “As our nurses travel alone and often after dark this can be a dangerous time for them.” Argyll’s CommuniCare service enables Marie Curie Cancer Care to operate an effective risk management strategy. The charities nurses are able to summon assistance from a mobile phone or landline should they find themselves in a potentially hazardous situation. The system is monitored by Argyll’s integrated control room through which they assist Marie Curie Cancer Care to manage and monitor the locations of its nurses, time at risk and provides them with an effective duress facility 24/7. CommuniCare allows Marie Curie nurses to notify Argyll while they are ‘on shift’ and potentially at risk. Should a member of staff experience a potentially hazardous situation, they are a single button-press away from quickly and discreetly summoning assistance. When an alert is received, Argyll’s trained operators 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. “Our nurses feel the benefit of this support and find using CommuniCare reassuring when on duty. They have commented that it also provides their families with peace of mind knowing they can summon assistance when they are working at night sometimes in isolated areas”. Established in 1948, Marie Curie Cancer Care now employs more than 2,700 nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals who are dedicated to maximising the quality of life for cancer patients throughout the UK. Whilst the charity is best known for its network of Marie Curie nurses working in the community, it also has 10 hospices and two centres for palliative care research as well as the world-renowned Marie Curie Research Institute which investigates the causes and treatments of cancer. Financially, around 70% of the charity’s income comes from the generous support of thousands of individuals, through its Daffodil Appeal, as well as membership organisations and businesses. Over 17,000 users successfully operate Argyll’s lone worker solutions across the UK in a diverse range of organisations that includes the NHS, commercial organisations, local authorities, housing associations and charities. The service is suitable for anyone working remotely from their office base and facing potential safety risks during the course of their normal working day. It enables employers to meet the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, which specifies that employers must identify potential hazards, assess the risks involved and put measures in place to avoid or control the risks associated with lone workers.
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