There is a lot of confusion among patients and professionals about what Oxevision is and what it can and cannot do. We have made this poster, aimed at advocates helping patients who are subject to Oxevision, so they can help patients make informed choices and potentially challenge ‘best interest’ decisions.
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What does Oxevision do?
It is used for observations – staff can look in the room through a camera at any time.
It uses an infrared camera to detect movement and ‘micro blushes’ in the skin so that it can take pulse and respiration rate. It will only take vital signs when staff manually do spot checks and for this the subject must be still.
It has an activity tracker. It can track how long someone has been in the bathroom, how many people have entered the room and time they spend in bed. This information can be pulled into a graph to create a activity report.
An alert will sound after someone has been in the bathroom (for more than 3 mins), is out of bed, edge of bed, room entry warning, out of room or in a blind spot. This can be tailored to the ward. 136 suites will also alert if no movement is detected.
Footage is kept for 24 hours. It is then recorded over and cannot be retrieved.
Staff can request footage to be ‘clipped’ and saved by ringing 24/7 customer service call line. Footage can be used in criminal proceedings and to prosecute, this can apply to both patients and staff.
What does Oxevision not do?
It does not record pulse and respiration rate all the time and will not detect or alert arrythmias.
It does not monitor quality of sleep or time spent asleep.
It does not alert if there is a issue with patient pulse and respiration rate unless staff have done a manual spot check on the screen.
It does not record sound.
It is recording footage 24/7 and although it is not technically CCTV it could be used in the same way.
Surveillance is not safety.
We are a group of survivors, supported by NSUN, campaigning for the rollout of Oxevision, and other surveillance technologies, on mental health wards to be ceased until an independent review into their use has been carried out.
Top tips
Staff can switch Oxevision off via settings in the ward office. However, Oxevision is often implemented as a blanket restriction and is refused to be switch it off.
A light will show even if Oxevision is switched off. Patients have reported having it successfully switched off but switched back on without being informed.
Patients are often not informed upon admission and information regarding Oxevision can be difficult to source. Staff may also be uneducated on how the technology works.
Many trusts implemented Oxevision without having policies in place. You can ask the trust for their policy on Oxevision but be aware they may not have one yet. You can refer to NHS England letter to Trusts about making sure their use of Oxevision is lawful.
We encourage advocates to challenge decisions around consent and capacity.
Currently consent processes are limited, and many trusts still operate on ‘implied consent’.