NHS England accelerates roll-out of body-worn cameras

Thousands of ambulance staff across England will wear body-worn cameras following successful trials with London Ambulance Service and North East Ambulance Service.

The trials demonstrated that the body-worn cameras, supplied by Motorola, improved transparency for staff and citizens to assist in de-escalating situations, leading to the accelerated roll out of the cameras across all trusts in England – three years ahead of the NHS Long Term Plan target.

The foundation of safety that the cameras provide allows ambulance workers to remain focused on making life-saving decisions and delivering patient care.

“If we are unable to protect our staff, we are unable to provide a service that’s fit for purpose for the public we serve,” said Darren Green, clinical service manager at North East Ambulance Service. “The availability of body-worn cameras for our staff is something that we have championed for a long time and we are delighted to have led the trial to help implement them nationally.”

“Looking after our staff and volunteers and keeping them safe is a top priority. These cameras should act as a deterrent and will also help provide evidence,” said Dr John Martin, Chief Paramedic and Quality Officer at London Ambulance Service.

The cameras are activated by the wearer, securely assigned to a frontline worker using their ID badge and offer an extended battery life that lasts beyond the shift with up to 12 hours of recording. The ambulance trusts will deploy the body-worn cameras with VideoManager evidence management software to seamlessly upload and manage the recorded video as part of their workflow.