RDaSH NHS Lone Worker Safety | Peoplesafe Case Study
A Safer Approach to Lone Working at Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust
Peoplesafe recently sat down with James (Jim) Cooper, Deputy Chief Nursing Officer at Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust, to discuss how the Trust protects employees who work alone, why staff feedback shaped its device choices and how its nine-year partnership with Peoplesafe supports safer lone working.
Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust, often known as RDaSH, provides mental health and community healthcare services across Rotherham, Doncaster and North Lincolnshire. Its teams work across more than one hundred sites, supporting around three-quarters of a million people through services including mental health care, community nursing, podiatry, tissue viability, school nursing, domestic services and facilities.
For many employees, lone working is part of daily life. Community mental health nurses visit people at home during periods of distress. Unplanned community nursing teams respond to urgent calls at night across rural areas. School nurses travel between sites alone. Domestic and facilities colleagues may open or lock up buildings before or after others have left.
This range of roles means lone worker safety cannot sit with one department or one job type. It needs to be part of how the Trust looks after its people every day.
Understanding Lone Worker Risk Across a Large NHS Trust
THE CHALLENGE
The Trust’s working environment is varied and complex. In mental health and community care, employees can meet people who are distressed, confused or aggressive. A routine visit can change quickly, and staff need to know that help is available if a situation becomes unsafe.
Geography is also part of the risk. Teams work across towns, villages and rural areas, often travelling alone to unfamiliar places. Some visits take place at night, and some locations have unreliable mobile signal. For staff, this can create understandable concern about what would happen if they needed urgent help and could not reach a colleague.
The Trust also needed a clear, consistent approach across a large workforce. Lone working affects nurses, therapists, school nurses, podiatry teams, caretakers, cleaners and facilities colleagues in different ways. A shared process helps every employee understand what support is available and how to use it.
The focus was on tackling:
- The unpredictable personal safety risks that come with people-facing roles
- The isolation inherent in working solo across a large geography
- The provision of a consistent safety net for everyone
Choosing the Right Devices for Different Roles
THE SOLUTION
RDaSH uses a mix of Peoplesafe MySOS and MySOS ID Badge 4G devices, selected according to role, environment and staff preference.
The MySOS device gives employees discreet access to help through a dedicated personal safety alarm. It is especially useful for roles such as caretaking and facilities, where fall detection can provide extra reassurance if someone slips, trips, falls or becomes unable to raise an alarm manually.
The MySOS ID Badge 4G has become a preferred option for many frontline staff because it fits naturally into something they already wear. It looks and feels like part of a standard staff ID badge, making it discreet and easy to carry throughout the day.
Frontline input was central to this decision. The Trust trialled the ID Badge device and gathered user feedback before choosing how to roll it out. Staff wanted something that felt natural to wear and would always be with them. Listening to that feedback helped create buy-in because the choice reflected the people using the devices every day.
Timed activities are another important part of the service. Before a higher-risk task, such as a home visit, staff can set a timer and record what they are doing. If the timer is not cancelled, an alarm is raised to the Peoplesafe Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC). This means staff are supported even if they cannot press the SOS button themselves.
Location data is used for safety purposes, helping the ARC understand where someone is when an alarm is raised or a timed activity expires. RDaSH has spent time explaining this to staff, so they understand that the purpose is protection, not productivity monitoring.
Roaming SIM coverage also supports staff working in low-signal areas. Devices can connect to the strongest available mobile network, helping calls reach the ARC where a single network may not be reliable.
To make the service easier to use, RDaSH has standardised device configuration across teams. This has made training simpler and helped staff know exactly what will happen when they raise an alarm, set a timed activity, or use their device during a shift.
A Nine-Year Partnership Built on Trust
OUR PARTNERSHIP
RDaSH has worked with Peoplesafe for nine years. During that time, the service has become embedded in how the Trust protects its workforce.
The relationship is built on reliable service, practical guidance and close account management. RDaSH works with its dedicated Peoplesafe Account Manager, who supports training, service reviews, usage insight and recommendations to help teams get full value from the service.
Peoplesafe has also supported device rollout, including the introduction of the ID Badge device. This included helping staff understand how the devices work, how to use key features and why regular usage matters.
For the Trust, this has made Peoplesafe feel like part of the safety team rather than an external supplier.
Greater Confidence for Lone Working Staff
THE OUTCOME
Peoplesafe has helped RDaSH give staff a clearer safety process when working alone. Employees know they have a direct route to support through a device they can carry during their working day. Managers have a more consistent way to train teams, promote usage and review how lone worker processes are working.
The use of MySOS and MySOS ID Badge 4G devices, timed activities, fall detection, safety-focused location data and roaming SIM coverage means staff have support for a range of real-world scenarios. Whether they are visiting someone at home, travelling across rural areas, working out of hours or carrying out facilities tasks alone, employees know support is available if something goes wrong.
The nine-year partnership with Peoplesafe has also given the Trust continuity. The service has grown with its needs, while dedicated account management has helped keep usage, training and staff engagement active over time.
For RDaSH, lone worker safety is part of a wider commitment to staff wellbeing and duty of care. By giving staff access to reliable personal safety devices and 24/7 support, the Trust helps employees feel safer, more supported and better able to focus on the people and services they care for.
