NHS lone workers to finally benefit

As the saying goes, 'the devil is always in the detail'. This can certainly be said for the NHS in the UK who have fianlly completed a year long tender process in choosing a supplier of a solution for their lone working staff. On the 27th April 2009 a deal was signed that will see Reliance Security and Connexion2 work with the NHS on rolling out over 30,000 Identicom lone worker devices to key staff at risk. The hope is that this marks the start of a wider implementation to all NHS staff in the community or other locations where specific risks are identified.

The NHS are often critisised for many things but on selecting to roll out in this fashion they have proven themselves to be sensitive to the issue, detailed in their selection and thorough. They have also ended up with an excellent solution at a price point that should benefit not only NHS workers but the wider UK public sector.

The market for lone worker solutions is clearly growing and the number of options available to employers is growing. This for some might make chosing a solutiuon confusing but you couldn't do better than the NHS for carrying out full due diligence. Keeping an eye on delivering a solution that is both simple, effective and discreet for the worker is key. The implementation of a solution shouldn't just be about the device the user carries but it is important that the device works and works well from the user's perspective. Selection of the right alarm receiving centre was equally important for the NHS and the need to ensure security of user data featured high on their list.

Using a BS5979 Cat II ARC has become a must rather than a luxury, especially if you want the Police to respond to a genuine alert.

For further information on how to learn more of the NHS roll out please follow this link. For more details from Reliance follow this link