Healthcare Workers

Community based Healthcare staff face a variety of risks daily, but the priority risk for the majority is a social one - abuse and attack. Workers employed across such roles often work alone and many routinely work with individuals with specialist and diverse needs. In 2007 - 2008 there were 55,993 assaults on NHS staff alone.

The NHS employs an estimated 200,000 - 250,000 community based staff. Data provided by the Office of National Statistics suggests there are a total of around 690,000 ‘Health Associate Professionals' in the UK, however it is not known exactly what percentage of those are full time lone workers - this figure is not including Doctors and other elements of support staff however.

In January 2011 Professional Security Magazine reported that the NHS SMS (Security Management Service) annual survey for the previous year indicates assaults against NHS staff have increased by 3.5% to 57,000. 22,381 of the assaults were a direct result of a clinical condition, or an attackers mental ill-health.  

The Public Sector Framework Agreement (accessed by the NHS) is currently the largest lone worker contract in the UK. Identicom was chosen as one of the preferred devices for the agreement and as such there are now in excess of 29,000 Identicom devices within the NHS being used by a broad range of staff. By January 2011 some thirty eight mental health trusts in the UK are now using Identicom to help protect lone workers.

The original Identicom i750 is much used in this sector, with the ability to record valuable audio evidence in the event of verbal abuse or anti-social behaviour, or the facility to raise a ‘Red Alert' should the lone worker need assistance. Both are standard functions across all Identicom products.

Case Studies

Connexion2 helps NHS East Lancashire reduce risk to 1100 health professionals

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