Rolled

NEW ‘contactless’ e-gates have just been introduced at a major UK airport.

Brits returning to the UK won’t have to scan their passport in a new government scheme to speed up arrivals – and it’s now in place at Gatwick Airport.

East Midlands Airport was the first to introduce the new system on October 6, followed by Gatwick – and eventually it will be rolled out at 13 UK airports.

The contactless system is set to be up to 25 per cent faster than current e-gates.

When one writer for The Times tested out the new e-gates, she said it took just 12 seconds to get through.

How it works is that passengers will have their photo taken at an e-gate which will be checked by the system, verified against immigration, travel and passport information.

BE-LEAF IT

Perfect autumn attractions from £1.95 per kid from pumpkin patches to waterparks

STAY CHEAP

Bargains at Butlins & manor stays… incredible value UK hols from £2.50pp a night

Essentially it takes away the need to both have a picture taken and scan the passport.

Once the checks are complete, the e-gates will open automatically.

If there is a need for further checks, then passengers will need to place their passport on the reader – or they could be asked to see a Border Force officer.

Passengers are still being told to keep their passport with them at all times.

At the moment, the contactless system will be for British citizens only, but eventually could be used by other nationalities.

The other airports which will have the new e-gate system are Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Glasgow, London Heathrow, London City, London Luton, Manchester, Newcastle and London Stansted.

Phil Douglas, director general of Border Force, said: “This is a win for travellers coming to our brilliant country.

“By using state-of-the-art technology, we are making journeys smoother and faster, all while fully maintaining the UK’s robust border security.

“Our digital transformation also builds on our work this summer to extend eGates to children aged eight and above, making life a little easier for families.”

Prof Aidan Fowler, national director of patient safety at NHS England, said the expansion of Martha’s Rule would give families and NHS staff “a critical new lifeline” to help improve care and save more lives.

Staff can themselves ask for a review from a different team if they are concerned the appropriate action is not being taken.

During the eight-month pilot at the seven trusts, 69 calls were made to dedicated Martha’s Rule phone numbers, including some calls relating to acute deterioration following an urgent clinical review. In some cases, it led to a patient having immediate surgery or being transferred to intensive care.

Prof Fowler said: “Early testing has shown that Martha’s Rule can work well in busy A&Es and builds on the evidence from our adult and children’s wards, where thousands of calls have been made by patients, families and staff to date, with many leading to changes in treatment and potentially life-saving interventions.”

Health minister Baroness Merron said the initiative was part of “wider efforts to put patient safety at the heart of the NHS.”

Actor Jason Watkins, whose two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Maude died from sepsis in 2011, praised the rollout, saying Martha’s rule “is making a difference on the wards”.

“It enables a parent to have a voice and if there is an issue, that is addressed,” he told BBC Breakfast, and urged parents: “if you’re at all worried when you go into A&E, ask for a second opinion.”

Watkins said the rollout of Martha’s law could benefit medical professionals too, explaining: “Those extremely dedicated medical practitioners, nurses, doctors and consultants, it gives them a pause and a thought ‘am I doing everything I can to assess this child accurately?'”.

Patients and their families can check with their local hospital or NHS trust where Martha’s Rule is available by visiting the trust’s website or asking hospital staff.

Scotland is beginning to use Martha’s Rule and Northern Ireland is considering using it, while Wales has a similar scheme called Call4Concern.