Network Rail
My Sentinel
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2017 13 Dec

A year on from the launch of the NEW Sentinel app

Posted in Communications

It has now been a year since the launch of Site Access, the upgrade to the Sentinel system.

In the last 12 months, the team has been supporting customers and working on increasing usage of the Sentinel system. This has been achieved with the help of the Wales Route where a pilot project was completed.

Highlights from Project Wales (pilot) include:

  • Many briefings and Q&A sessions held
  • A 35% increase in usage across Wales (period 3 – period 5)
  • Top three system improvements identified as a result of frontline feedback (see below ‘what next in 2018’)

‘Project Wales’
In order to increase the usage of the Sentinel app, as a pilot, the team worked with the Wales Route to deliver briefings and hold Q & A and feedback sessions. This was done to give us a clearer picture of who was actually using the app and more importantly who wasn’t and why.

The briefings were primarily attended by section managers and team leaders and from them came a wealth of feedback and improvement suggestions.

Main Feedback/issues were:

  • System is not mandated
  • We have been told by our union reps not to use the system
    When the new technology was released, the frontline staff on some locations were unsure they had union support and therefore some of them were and continue to be reluctant to use the technology. The Sentinel team is engaging with Trade Unions for them to issue a consistent message to the business.
  • There is an issue with Signal/signing in
    This is a recognised limitation of the system that would apply to any system of a similar nature.
  • Not all locations are available
  • Would like an alert to remind them to swipe out
  • Would like a clarification on reason why someone has been denied access (e.g. medical expired, core competence expired)
  • Would like to see Medical Expiry date on the app

What next in 2018
All the feedback from Wales is being addressed and as a result, we are pleased to confirm that in early 2018 the following updates will be made on the Sentinel app:

  • Adding an alert to remind people to swipe out
  • Adding a message to clarify whether “Denied Access” is due to medical or competency expiry
  • Adding Medical Expiry date on the app

The above improvements are part of the Sentinel team’s continuous focus to streamline the system and make it as user friendly as possible.

Along with the updates to the app, the aim now is to engage with all the Routes and the Supply Chain again at different levels and provide opportunities for system users to dial into WebEx’s, FAQ live sessions and offer briefings to continue spreading the word regarding the Safety aspect of Sentinel.

More details on the opportunities open to the Routes will be available in 2018.