|
Argyll provides lone worker support to North Lancashire PCT Aware of the vulnerability of its lone workers from potential hazards such as illness, accidents and physical and verbal abuse, the newly formed North Lancashire PCT is providing its personnel with support from Argyll, the market leader in mobile personnel monitoring. Argyll is providing the Trust’s district nurses, night service nurses, rapid response nurses, speech and language therapists and podiatrists with its CommuniCare system which enables the Trust to monitor its lone workers’ safety 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. Argyll’s CommuniCare service enables lone workers to summon assistance from a mobile phone or specialist device should they find themselves in a potentially hazardous situation. The system is monitored by Argyll’s integrated control room through which the Trust manages and monitors its nurses’ locations, time at risk and provides them with effective escalation procedures 24/7. Chosen by North Lancashire PCT for its innovative technology and total solutions package, the CommuniCare system is currently being used by 19 of the Trust’s personnel. The lone worker is just a single button press away from quickly and discreetly summoning assistance should they feel at risk. Using a pre-configured button on their mobile phone, they can issue a duress signal, which instantly alerts Argyll’s 24/7 manned control centre and simultaneously opens a voice channel enabling operators to listen in. 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. “CommuniCare provides peace of mind and if used to supplement good lone work practices is an invaluable asset for lone worker safety”, says Damian Gudgeon, Assistant Health & Safety Adviser for Blackpool PCT which manages the risk management services for North Lancashire PCT. Argyll is providing North Lancashire PCT with a total solutions package that includes CommuniCare, operator response, tracking, training, configuration with the mobile network and ongoing support. “We chose Argyll because they manage the process from start to finish”, concluded Damian. “Other companies we contacted would just ring the Trust in the event of a problem, which we felt was not failsafe. Using Argyll ensures that in the event of an incident our staff know they will receive an immediate response. We are now looking to expand our lone worker protection service with Argyll across the whole of North Lancashire”. Over 17,000 users successfully operate Argyll’s lone worker solutions across the UK in a diverse range of organisations that includes the NHS, charities, local authorities, housing associations and commercial organisations. 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. Argyll works in partnership with a number of high profile organisations including mobile operators and device manufacturers. Argyll continually invests in failsafe and uninterruptible IT systems and operates as a integral control room to provide the best technical means of minimising risk and monitoring personal safety.
| 
|
