New service helps West Suffolk Hospital protect staff working alone in the community

30 June 2003

The West Suffolk Hospital is introducing measures to improve the safety of midwives working alone in the community. 

Recent figures from the Royal College of Nurses show that one in three nurses have experienced some form of harassment or assault in the last twelve months. To tackle this problem, midwives from West Suffolk Hospital have been involved in a successful new pilot scheme that provides them with a reliable means of calling for help whilst travelling between appointments. 

Midwives use a normal mobile phone linked to a computer system to input their destination and route details.  In the event of an incident, the system is able to automatically call for back up and provide the location details of the affected member of staff.

West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust is one of the first acute NHS trusts to pilot the new LookOut call service from Cambridge-based C3 Ltd. Within the next two months, all community midwives working for the Trust will use the system.

The midwives use their mobile phones to update a computer system with their status (e.g. starting a 60 minute appointment visit) and leave a spoken message with their location details. If a midwife then fails to send another update within a certain time limit, the computer will check for false alarms by sending text messages.  If they do not respond to these messages, team leaders or managers are contacted, and if necessary the police are made aware of the situation.

The phone can also be used by midwives in emergency situations.  By pressing a single button, the phone automatically speed dials through to the police.

Sheila Cornwell, Midwifery Manager, is very positive about the impact of the Look Out call service.

“Midwives are lone workers and can find themselves in vulnerable situations,” she said. “This system reduces that vulnerability and risk of attack.

“Our first duty is to our women, but staff safety is also of paramount importance.  This initiative shows a great deal of commitment from the West Suffolk Hospital, and it makes us feel safer to know that our personal security is a priority.”