Body-worn camera trial at hospital begins

The 12-week trial was introduced in response to "challenging behaviour" in emergency departments, MTW said

A trial for staff at a hospital in Kent to wear body-worn cameras has begun.

Key members of emergency department staff at Maidstone Hospital will wear the cameras in an attempt to increase the safety of staff, patients and members of the public, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW) said.

The 12-week trial has been introduced in response to an increase in "challenging behaviour" across emergency departments, the trust added.

Mark Dunnett, head of security management at MTW, said: "The safety and wellbeing of our staff, patients and visitors always comes first."

He added: "The aim of the body-warn camera trial is to create a safer environment for everyone visiting, and working in, the emergency department, and forms part of a wider project to reduce abusive behaviour across our hospitals."

Other trials in the UK have shown the use of body-worn cameras was effective in reducing violence and aggression, preventing situations from escalating and making NHS staff feel safer at work, the trust said.

Review carried out

Footage from the cameras can also be used if further action is needed to be taken following an incident.

Staff wearing the cameras are to activate them in situations where they experience abuse or feel threatened, and only after they have notified the individual that they are going to be recorded.

The trial will be fully compliant with data protection requirements, the trust added.

A review will take place at the end of the trial to evaluate its success and determine next steps.

A previous BBC investigation discovered more than 1,700 physical assaults were recorded on NHS hospital staff in the South East between 2018 and 2022.

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