I was told upon admission that the ‘sensors’ had been installed in bedrooms but were not live, after asking if the site used Oxevision. I asked directly if it was a camera and was told no several times by nurses and HCAs but I covered it with sheets of paper anyway as I knew exactly what they were due to working for the Trust, yet was continually told it was not a camera.
Workmen came to my room a few weeks later stating my ‘sensor’ was ‘showing no signs of life’. They saw the paper covering it and stated ‘that’ll be why’. I asked how a camera that ‘is not live or turned on’ could show no signs of life and I was told to speak to the ward staff. Ward staff denied all knowledge. They removed the paper, which I swiftly put back up. I was told the paper was a fire risk. I asked how something that was not turned on could get hot enough to cause a fire. I received no answer. I was told not to cover it again.
We had a patient meeting where the modern matron informed everyone that the ‘sensors’ were going live and would be used to monitor physiological observations only. We were told it was a patient safety mechanism. They were never called cameras throughout the meeting, and the camera function was omitted from her explanation of function. I asked if the cameras would be live and she admitted it was in fact a camera, however ‘the image was blurred’. I asked if I could see what this image looked like and was told no. I asked if I could withdraw consent for the camera function to be used in my room and was told no. I asked if an alarm would go off in specific scenarios (in the bathroom longer than three minutes etc) to which she said yes but diverted the conversation quickly.
We were given leaflets about the ‘sensors’ following this meeting, which included a photo of what staff would be able to see; a clear CCTV image of a patient in their bedroom, clear enough to see the pattern on their clothes and their facial expression. All patients were very upset. I was pulled aside by the matron to ask why I had ‘shared and spread incorrect information to peers to cause distress’. I stated we read the leaflets she provided and I did not share anything. The matron told me she would need to debrief everyone as a result of my actions.
Male staff would attend my room during showers as the alarms would sound, a very uncomfortable and for many patients traumatic. There were countless times I was dressing or undressing and staff would attend my room with the iPad/tablet camera in their hand as my alarm had sounded for using the bathroom. Staff would sit in the lounge with the iPad; patients could see the screen as they walked past.
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