In the fast-evolving landscape of UK healthcare, technology is constantly reshaping how we deliver patient care, manage resources, and ensure safety. While much attention is often given to new medical treatments or digital patient records, one unsung hero making a significant impact is GPS tracking technology. It’s far more than just finding your way; it’s a critical tool for enhancing patient safety, optimising operations, and supporting healthcare professionals across various settings.
At BORIS Software, we understand the unique demands of the healthcare sector, especially in the UK. We know that ensuring every patient receives timely care, every piece of vital equipment is accounted for, and every lone worker is safe is paramount. That’s why our robust Workforce Management solution includes powerful GPS & Fleet Management capabilities, specifically designed to help you run your business smarter.
Why GPS Tracking is a Game-Changer for Healthcare
The integration of GPS technology into healthcare isn’t just a convenience; it’s integral to fiscal responsibility and efficiency for providers, and fundamentally enhances safety for patients and staff alike. Here’s why it’s so crucial:
• Enhancing Patient Safety: For patients with cognitive impairments like dementia or Alzheimer’s, wandering is a major concern. GPS tracking devices provide real-time location monitoring, allowing caregivers to receive immediate updates and ensuring staff are notified if a patient leaves a designated safe zone. Geofencing can be set up to create virtual boundaries around secure areas, automatically alerting staff if a patient crosses them, leading to faster response times to wandering incidents. Some advanced devices even include emergency SOS features for patients to call for help and fall detection with integrated motion sensors.
• Faster Emergency Response: In critical situations, every second counts. GPS-enabled devices help emergency responders pinpoint the exact location of a patient in need, speeding up emergency services and potentially saving lives. Ambulances equipped with GPS devices can navigate faster to accident scenes or hospitals.
• Optimising Resource Allocation & Efficiency: Hospitals and healthcare facilities house many valuable assets. GPS devices can monitor medical equipment, helping to prevent loss or theft and saving time looking for misplaced items. This also extends to efficient transportation of medical supplies and personnel, optimising routes for improved delivery times and cost savings.
• Supporting Lone Workers & Field Teams: For home care nurses, community health visitors, or mobile phlebotomists, GPS tracking enhances team safety and lone worker support. GPS tracking on individual devices helps identify route history and location if communication is lost, providing crucial support.
• Enabling Telemedicine and Remote Monitoring: GPS technology plays a crucial role in telemedicine and remote healthcare, improving accessibility and connectivity. Wearable GPS devices allow healthcare providers to remotely monitor patients’ vital signs and activity levels, providing real-time health data and enabling early detection of abnormalities. Doctors can connect with patients remotely, perform consultations, and provide immediate guidance and support.
• Public Health Crisis Management: GPS technology was crucial during the 2014-16 Ebola outbreak, where the WHO used devices to trace contacts and monitor potential cases, helping to contain the virus by quickly identifying infected people and implementing quarantine measures.
Challenges and Considerations
While the benefits are clear, it’s important to acknowledge challenges associated with GPS technology in healthcare. These include concerns about device accuracy and connectivity, as signal strength can be affected by environments like dense buildings. Patient resistance to wearing devices can also be an issue, although discreet options like shoe inserts can help. Most importantly, ethical and privacy concerns arise from constant tracking, necessitating patient consent, robust data security, and transparent policies to balance safety with respecting individual rights and autonomy.
How BORIS Software Strengthens Healthcare Operations with GPS
At BORIS, we understand that healthcare providers face unique challenges, from managing dispersed teams to ensuring compliance and patient well-being. Our Workforce Management solution, including its GPS & Fleet Management capabilities, is specifically designed to help. BORIS is trusted by organisations like Bradford Royal Infirmary NHS, who have seen significant improvements in efficiency and compliance.
Here’s how BORIS simplifies and strengthens your operations:
• Comprehensive Tracking Capabilities: BORIS can help you oversee the condition and location of your vehicles and the location of your teams for safety. Our data capture can track both “the man and the van”. Features include GPS tracking devices, live data capture, speed & mileage traceability, and route history.
• Enhanced Team Safety & Lone Worker Support: With GPS tracking on individual devices, BORIS contributes towards providing safety support to lone workers with the ability to identify their route history and location when communication is lost.
• Optimised Fleet Management: We offer vehicle tracking complemented with live traffic conditions to assess distance and time to site, allowing you to update clients and partners about any delays. Geo-fencing can be set up to create specific boundaries for your vehicles and field service operatives, enabling review of operative site access and geographic territories.
• Digital Vehicle Safety Audits: BORIS allows for regular vehicle audits to ensure they remain fit for purpose. Bespoke app templates can be used to monitor driver maintenance, log contents, and record vehicle condition during transfers. Digital forms can be supported with vehicle drawings to accurately mark up damage or areas of concern for repair and maintenance.
• Proactive Maintenance & Compliance: Employing asset management principles, you can record the full specification and lifetime service history of your vehicles, utilising our PPM (Planned Preventative Maintenance) module to create a cyclical maintenance system for auto-scheduling MOTs and servicing across your fleet. Our system also includes robust compliance tracking and reporting tools to ensure your business meets industry regulations.
• Seamless Digital Processes: BORIS allows you to manage timesheets, expenses, holidays, and clock-ins effortlessly with streamlined tools. Our digital forms are instantly uploaded to a host portal for review, cutting through chaos and saving you over 10 hours a week and reducing costs by over 20%.
• Accessibility & Adaptability: BORIS is accessible on iOS, Android, and web browsers for seamless use anytime, anywhere, putting your business in the palm of your hand. It’s designed for every role in business operations, from Operations Managers to Field Workers and HR Professionals.
Just as GPS technology is revolutionising patient safety and operational efficiency within the broader healthcare industry, BORIS Software provides the tools to implement these vital advancements within your organisation.
Ready to transform your healthcare operations, enhance safety, and streamline your processes with advanced GPS tracking? You can book a free demo today to see how BORIS can simplify every step.
