Notes From This Year's MWC

Peter Lusty, Chief Executive of UK mobile healthcare specialists, Geonovo, spent a week at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona in March. Geonovo won a competition and was chosen by UK Trade and Investment to join them in their pavilion on the main exhibition Avenida, which was showcasing some of the best and most innovative British companies working in the mobile sector.

What We Saw

The MWC is a huge show, so it's hard to know where to start - 67,000 visitors from over 200 counties and 1,500 exhibitor companies. Our focus is on mobile healthcare so we were obviously drawn to those companies who were innovating in our sector. On a general level, there were obviously going to be a lot of phones and visitors were not disappointed. Among the best known giants such as Samsung and LG were similarly impressive displays from ZTE and Huawei, companies who until quite recently would have been unknown to most UK consumers. Apple on the other hand stayed away - although its absence was made up for by a myriad of smart phones and tablets that owed more than a nod of recognition to that company’s design vision.

According to the RCN's survey, over 70% of community nurses reported having been subjected to either physical or verbal abuse during the course of their jobs in the past two years, with many agreeing that the risk they face has increased, largely due to the increased expectations of patients, their relatives and carers. More than 60% of community nurses spend more than half their time as a lone worker without immediate access to a colleague for support.

A recent study by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has revealed the true benefit of lone worker devices to healthcare employees, many of whom are often required to work alone or in remote areas to deliver care and support services for patients and their families. RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary Dr Peter Carter said he was "utterly appalled" that nurses continue to face violence.