Stefan Spendrup

Outdated and non-existent healthcare technology is potentially leaving lives at risk, following a year in which COVID-19 has put more strain on industry workers than ever before. Uncovered by SOTI research – which surveyed homecare workers, visiting nurses and healthcare professionals across the UK and Europe, as well as in Canada, the U.S. and Australia – the findings show that the level of technological immaturity is affecting their ability to care for people amid an admin deluge. The survey forms part of SOTI’s new Critical Technology for Critical Care: State of Mobility in Healthcare 2020/21 Report, which has explored how…

The coronavirus pandemic has seen an exponential rise in the amount of people switching to remote work. Since mid-February, 88%[1] of global organisations have encouraged or required their employees to work from home. Before COVID-19, 1.7 million people in the UK[2] worked from home, but due to lockdown restrictions, which has caused a seismic shift in working habits and methods, an estimated 20 million people have had to relocate to home offices. Moreover, in Ireland, an estimated 100,000[3] people have switched to remote work. Even in Japan, with its traditional corporate culture of “showing up to the office,” 18%[4] of businesses have implemented a…

There isn’t a single industry that remains unaffected by COVID-19. The closure of non-essential shops on the 26th of March, coupled with strict social distancing measures to slow the spread of the virus, has naturally caused a surge in online purchases and home deliveries during the lockdown. This, in turn, has inevitably put significant strain on the logistics industry to fulfil orders, while still taking the necessary safety precautions, thus decreasing worker efficiency. Supermarkets have been especially impacted. Previously, UK consumers would typically buy 60 to 65% of their food (measured by calories) at supermarkets, but with restaurants and cafes shut, shoppers have bought 85%…

It’s hard, if not impossible, to think of a time when more attention has been paid to healthcare. While the government and the National Health Service (NHS) throw every resource possible at meeting the demands of caring for those struck down with COVID-19, it’s also important to look at how general healthcare standards can be improved and made more efficient to ease the wider burden on care providers. The rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) and mobile technologies are accelerating the pace of change and offer great opportunities to advance healthcare, as well as providing the potential to deliver…

Under UK law, it’s an employer’s duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees and other people who might be affected by their business and do whatever is reasonably practicable to achieve this. For field service industries which have an increased risk associated with them, such as construction, agriculture, utilities and telecommunications, employers rely on having the right technology measures in place to protect their workers and fulfil these obligations. Examples range from regular communication with a remote worker for wellbeing checks and to monitor their location and potential risk exposure, to maintaining safe work practices in…