Taranaki DHB Nurses Feel Safer with Argus Tracking
With staff visiting patients in remote areas, Taranaki DHB needed to ensure their people were kept safe. Argus Tracking has given them the reassurance that help is only the press of a button away.
Taranaki District Health Board provides numerous health services to the region, with a team dedicated to their profession and community.
But as transport coordinator Rosemary Goddin explains, this often means travelling to remote areas – and into sometimes dangerous situations.
Rosemary oversees the DHB’s fleet of 106 vehicles, which are primarily used by staff to visit patients. 21 of those vehicles are dedicated to occupational therapy, some are workshop utes, and the rest are pool vehicles – used as needed and managed by Rosemary. The DHB has been an avid user of Argus Tracking’s GPS software for years, “so long I can’t remember how long,” laughs Rosemary. She explains that while they only use three of its many features – health and safety, driver behaviour and compliance – the best outcome is knowing their staff feel confidently safe when out on the road.
Panic Buttons Create a Safety Net
The number one reason the DHB invested in Argus Tracking was for staff safety. Even with limited resources and money, this has always been a top priority for Rosemary. Previously, when staff members thought they might be at risk, they would need to let another team member know where they were and what time they would be back. If there was an emergency, the only option Rosemary had was to call the police if she couldn’t get a hold of the staff member.
While Argus Tracking is well-known for its vehicle tracking software, it’s the panic buttons that Rosemary finds the most valuable. All her drivers now have access to a ‘panic button’, which alerts her to immediate emergencies.
“When we first got Argus installed, people would constantly ask me to tell them where they were – they couldn’t quite believe I could ‘see’ them, and honestly, they were totally relieved,” Rosemary says. “Taranaki itself is quite remote, with its coastal landscape and lots of mountains. Our staff will visit lots of patients living in remote places. The longer we’ve had Argus, we see there are lots of features and benefits, but the main reason for implementing the software was so our staff were safe.”
Having tracked vehicles and staff who can easily access help adds an extra layer of security, not just for district health nurses visiting patients in remote areas, but also mental health workers transporting difficult patients. “They’ll have me track them to certain places to ensure they get there ok,” Rosemary says.
Drastic Reduction in Overspeeds
In an organisation that promotes health in its community, overspeeds in hospital-branded cars are less than ideal, Rosemary says. Before Argus Tracking, the only way Rosemary knew whether someone had been speeding was when she received the ticket.
“Our staff are responsible for anything that happens in our vehicles, including speeding fines, but that’s beside the point. We promote health!” She now uses Argus Tracking’s driver behaviour reporting to monitor her fleet’s overspeeds – and encourage DHB staff to stay compliant and within the speed limit.
“Makes life a lot easier being able to see everything at a glance. Our over speeds have drastically reduced ever since we’ve been reporting on them weekly to managers.”
Compliance Capabilities Save Time
Lastly, Rosemary explains she uses Argus Tracking’s compliance features to keep her fleet roadworthy. What was previously a manual process that required Rosemary to check each vehicle is now an automated weekly task. She receives reminders when road user charges are due, when WOFs are about to expire, and when cars need servicing, triggered by the date or number of kilometres. This cuts down on manpower and hours.
Rosemary says while the system is excellent, the service she receives from the Argus team is great too. “Nothing is ever a problem for them,” she says. She would happily recommend them to any fleet manager looking for a robust and reliable fleet management system.
“I would recommend them, and I have, they’re just so good to deal with. I’ve recently been sick for quite a while, and on my return, there were a couple of cars that need attention. Within minutes, my Client Success Manager had everything sorted – she always goes out of her way to help us.”
