Personal safety alarms rolled out to Hawke's Bay DHB community-based workers
Hawke’s Bay District Health Board (HBDHB) is rolling out personal safety alarms to its community-based teams to provide an additional safety net for health professionals often working alone.
Get Home Safe, the technology behind the safety button solution, was trialled by HBDHB late last year – technology also introduced by other district health boards.
Hawke’s Bay DHB Business Systems Analyst Rudi Lategan said today the technology, essentially an APP that speaks via Bluetooth to a button normally attached to clothing, provided real-time comfort should staff ever feel vulnerable and unsafe.
“At the beginning of a shift staff essentially activate a ‘session’ or time period of their shift. When they arrive at a location they can simply press the button once to check-in, which pin points their location on a map. However, if something goes wrong and they feel unsafe or need emergency support, they can activate an alarm which is picked up immediately by our 24/7 call centre team.
“Our teams have a process to follow to check on a colleague’s wellbeing, including requesting emergency services if necessary.”
Lategan said the technology would be rolled out to all community-based teams over the coming months whilst those working in remote rural locations would be underway as soon as a compatible satellite device was trialled and confirmed for use.
Community Nursing Clinical Nurse Manager Maree Gladstone says the technology is welcomed for the additional safety net it provides her team.
“Our community nursing teams offer an incredible service in the home of so many and it’s a job they wouldn’t change for the world, but sometimes things can go amiss. It is comforting and reassuring to know that should this be necessary; the staff have the added support the Get Home Safe technology provides.”
District nurses Kirsten Malcolm and Amy Andrew who were involved in the DHB’s trial of Get Home Safe late last year say having the added safety is reassuring.
“We have safety plans in place anyway but with this added technology it’s very reassuring to know that someone is only the push of a button away,” said Kirsten.
“What I like about it most is that it’s very user-friendly and discreet, should we need help we know that within seconds our Call Centre will be onto it and obviously if we ended up in a car accident in a remote area, we know we’ll be found through the GPS,” Amy said.
