Vodafone – Protecting Frontline Workers

About our partnership with Vodafone

Orbis worked in partnership with Vodafone for over 18 years, supplying lone working services, devices and smartphone applications to a range of Vodafone customers. 

Vodafone Total Workforce Mobility worked in partnership with Orbis Lone Worker Protection to offer a suite of mobile applications, technologies, and services to help those who work alone in the field. The Orbis Lone Worker Protection Service makes it possible to provide mobile workers in potentially vulnerable situations to quickly receive aid and assistance. 

Meeting Our Customers’ Needs

The NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership (NWSSP) support front line services across Wales with vital functions to help keep NHS Wales Health Boards and Trusts running. One major role is their Health Courier Service, who deliver everything from medical records to laundry, blood samples, and vital drugs.  

Known as the ‘Wheels of the NHS’ in Wales, deliveries take place around the clock, to every hospital and primary care site in Wales. Working with Vodafone and Orbis, the organisation wanted a way to ensure staff and drivers felt safe when they’re on the road. 

Some of these miles are done outside of regular hours; with deliveries taking place in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning. Whether it’s a routine delivery or a last-minute response, it’s critical that all items arrive on time, and it’s just as important that the drivers feel and are safe, especially when working alone. 

“Our staff often transport dangerous, high risk, and valuable items. Given the risks associated around collecting and delivering them, it is imperative our operatives feel safe when conducting their duties and have an assurance that assistance can be summoned at the touch of a button, regardless of the time of day or night”  

Gildas, Deputy Head of Supply Chain, Clinical Logistics and Transport at NHS Wales Shared Service Partnership.  

Providing Real Solutions

“We needed an easy to roll-out solution that our staff would feel comfortable using, and Lone Worker Protection is just that.” says Gildas. Following the success of a three-month trial, NWSSP Health Courier Services rolled out the solution to 145 of their drivers.  

Now, by triggering an Amber Alert, members of the team can leave a message with the response centre before they make a delivery, allowing operators monitor any problems or support requests. The solution also offers a Red Alert which connects immediately to specially trained operators who can listen in to what’s happening, assess the situation, and communicate with drivers. It even gives them access to GPS data to find a couriers’ exact location, informing their team and the emergency services if needed. 

As a novel test, the RedAlert Fob was taken on a organised charity walk to Wales’ highest peak ‘Yr Wyddfa’ (Snowdon).  Gildas said: 

“As part of our training, we tested the device on route to the summit and received an immediate response”. “Where better to test the solution, than Wales’s largest mountain? And it pinpointed my location to about one foot, which was very impressive.”  

Joined by 33 others, including NWSSP colleagues and friends we raised more than £8,000 for MacMillan Cancer Support, Wales, exceeding all expectations. 

Bronowska, Head of Public Sector Guy Matthews, and Head of Regional Business Athena Ainsworth we raised more than £8,000 for MacMillan Cancer Support, Wales, exceeding all expectations.

“The Lone Worker Protection solution has given our drivers peace of mind that they have support there if they need it. But not only that, it’s given the partners and families of our drivers’ peace of mind too. Now they know when their loved ones are working late at night or by themselves, that there’s an extra layer of protection. We’ve already been asked by others to talk about it and how it would benefit them in a rural area.” Said Gildas. 

The project inspired NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership (NWSSP) to think about devices and technology for lone workers in other areas of the organisation. Given the level of protection the Lone Worker Protection solution offers, it has the capabilities to protect and monitor all their human resources across Wales.