Lone working

At Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS) we are dedicated to delivering great care, close to home for the people of Lincolnshire. We offer a cross-section of services including; urgent care services, inpatient services in four community hospitals and community nursing and therapy services throughout the county.

This means many of our staff travel the length and breadth of Lincolnshire, visiting the most vulnerable members of our community, providing care and treatment 365 days a year often directly into our patients’ homes. Many of these staff work alone, driving at all hours of the day and in all weather conditions.

The safety of our staff is paramount as they deliver this care. At LCHS we are always looking to find new and innovative ways to make use of available technology to ensure the safety of our staff, especially those who work alone. One of the innovative ways we are using technology to keep our people safe is the use of the Jobtrac+ smartphone app by Ubitrac Ltd on all of our lone workers’ mobile phones.

By using a smartphone based app, staff have the peace of mind of quick and easy access to help without having to carry an additional device. The app enables users to make a call to Ubitrac’s Emergency Response Centre, that offers 24/7 access to dedicated help when needed, including contacting emergency services if necessary.

The system has many innovative features; ‘shake to dial’ allows the user to access the system from the lock screen, ‘covert activation’ for when the user feels a call would enflame a situation and an ‘amber alert’ that allows the user to set an alert if they are heading into a situation that makes them feel uneasy, which can be cancelled by the user at any time.

We hear all the time that society is becoming too fixated on mobile telephones and that this is bad for our health. Here at LCHS we are making the best use of technology to ensure our staff are safe as they deliver vital services to those who need them the most.