Safety for mental health workers.
Community mental health work means going to people who are unwell, in their own environment, often at the point where things are least stable. Clinicians are trained to de-escalate, which is exactly why they tend to leave calling for help too late.
What mental health workers are actually up against
Home visits and outreach with clients in acute distress, where a situation can change quickly and the worker's own judgement is the only safety net in the room.
- A visit where the client's presentation deteriorates and the clinician needs support without escalating the situation
- An outreach shift in an unfamiliar area, after hours, with no colleague nearby
- A wellbeing check that turns into a clinical emergency needing an ambulance and a second pair of hands
In the FY26 data, most confirmed emergencies were de-escalated with an operator on the line, without needing emergency services. See the data ›
What we'd recommend
Match the tool to the risk. Most teams layer a monitored app with a wearable trigger so help arrives whether the worker presses, gestures, falls, or goes quiet.
Phoenix
Pressed unseen from a pocket, which matters when visible help-seeking would itself escalate the situation.
See Phoenix ›Duress App
Safety timers per visit and live audio, so an operator can hear the room and judge whether to escalate.
See Duress App ›Falcon
Live streaming and fall detection where the risk assessment calls for the operator to see, not just hear.
See Falcon ›