We’re piloting the use of body-worn video cameras by senior nurses in our Clinical Operations team to help keep our patients and staff safe. Feedback from staff so far has been overwhelmingly positive.

David Bays, Head of Operational Resilience, said: “Sadly, on occasion, some of our staff face incidents of violence, abuse and aggression. The body-worn video cameras are one of the steps we are taking to reduce these incidents to help keep everyone safe. Thanks to Carol Ellis-Allen, our Bed and Site manager, for leading on such an important project.”

Senior nurses in our Clinical Operations team can sometimes be called to incidents with the potential for conflict. Nurses will turn on their camera if they feel an incident may escalate. Before they begin recording, they inform those around they are going to turn their camera on, and the video is stored securely to protect everyone’s privacy.

Richard Smith, Head of Security, added: “Our staff are working day in and day out to provide the best care during a challenging time. They shouldn’t have to face violence and aggression whilst doing their jobs.

“Our security officers have been using body-worn cameras for a number of years now, and it has shown not just a significant reduction in the seriousness of incidents, but has also lead to an increase in successful prosecutions where a crime has been committed. We feel now is the right time to see if these cameras can support our clinical staff, starting with our Clinical Operations team.

“This is just one of the ways we are keeping our patients, staff and hospitals safe.”