HSPOL19 Lone Worker Policy v8 by Provide Community

Lone Working Policy

Version: V8

Ratified by:

Property Health and Safety Steering Group

Date ratified: 01/02/2024

Job Title of author:

Reviewed by Committee or Expert Group

Equality Impact Assessed by:

1. Introduction

Health and Safety legislations does not prohibit lone working, but an employee should not be put at more risk than other people working. An employer has a general duty under Section 2(1) of the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of employee’s whilst at work.

Health and Safety Legislation requires employers and managers to assess risks to staff whilst lone working and make arrangements for effective planning, organisation, control, monitoring and review. This policy deals with generic aspects of management of lone working risks and provides advice on the efficacy of various actions that may be utilised to reduce these risks.

Provide staff who carry out ‘lone working’ in a community setting owe a duty of care to their patients which may only be withdrawn in exceptional circumstances. In exceptional cases, this duty of care to the patient has to be balanced against the potential risks to staff associated with visiting the patient in their home setting. It is also recognised that increasingly hybrid working has meant that there are fewer staff in nonclinical areas and an increased likelihood of staff lone working in office environments

There are many different situations that staff find themselves in with regard to lone working, and it would be impractical to address each situation individually.

This policy has been designed, therefore, to be as wide ranging as possible, but still assist the organisation and its Managers in meeting their legal obligations and provide them with some practical guidelines to minimise the risks to their employees.

2. Purpose

The purpose of the policy is to identify where persons are recognised as lone workers and to eliminate the potential risks associated with lone working, where this is not possible the risks will be minimised to the lowest possible level so far as is reasonably practicable and putting in place appropriate measures to improve their safety by:

• Increasing staff awareness of safety issues relating to lone working;

• Ensuring that the risk of lone working is assessed in a systematic and ongoing way, and that safe systems and methods of work are put in place to reduce the risk so far as is reasonably practicable;

• Ensuring that appropriate training is available to all staff in all areas that equips them to recognise risk and provides practical advice on safety when working alone;

• Ensuring that appropriate support is available to staff who have to work alone;

• Encouraging full reporting and recording of all adverse incidents relating to lone working; and reduce the number of incidents and injuries to staff related to lone working.

3. Definitions

“So far as is reasonably practicable”

The requirement to undertake a suitable and sufficient Risk Assessment of all the hazards, which may be present in any given situation where the risks are foreseeable.

“Lone Workers”

Lone working is not unique to any particular group of staff, working environment or time of day. Provide defines a lone worker as:

Any situation or location in which both clinical or non-clinical staff work without a colleague nearby; or when someone is working out of sight and earshot of another colleague whilst engaged on Provide Community business.

Three broad groups of workers are at risk and classified as:

• Those working alone on site;

• Employees working away from base (i.e. community-based staff) and

• Homeworkers.

4. Duties

Group Chief Executive

The Group Chief Executive or his nominated Executive Director on his behalf is responsible for ensuring that there are arrangements for identifying, evaluating and managing risk associated with lone working, providing resources for putting the policy into practice and ensuring that there are arrangements for monitoring incidents linked to lone working and that the effectiveness of this policy is regularly reviewed.

Directors/Heads of service

Has the following responsibilities:

• Promote and support the aims and objectives of this Policy

• Ensure that Assistant Directors and Managers have the appropriate authorisation and resources to implement this policy.

Assistant Directors/Service Leads

Have the following responsibilities:

• Promote and support the aims and objectives of this policy, and promote it equally as important as all other Policies and management functions

• As part of the dissemination of the Policy to ensure that staff are educated as to its purpose and status and ensure that arrangements are in place to bring any revisions to the attention of all employees

• Ensure that arrangements exist for the investigation of any incident involving a ‘lone worker’

• Ensure that arrangements exist for the provision of safety systems, procedures, or devices

Ensure resources are available to enable staff to implement the aims and objectives of this Policy

• Ensure representation at the Quality & Safety Committee in order to report relevant risk issues, including any lone worker incidents.

Managers

They have the following responsibilities:

• Promote and support the aims and objectives of this Policy, and accord it equal importance with all other management functions

• Ensure that this policy is disseminated, implemented and monitored

• Ensure that any incident is reported in accordance with the organisation's Incident Reporting Policy

• Investigate any incident involving a lone worker and make recommendations to prevent a recurrence

• Ensure that employees receive information, instruction, training and supervision to enable them to perform their work safely. This should take place in line with Provide Training Matrix.

• Ensure that employees receive and are trained to use, any safety devices or systems deemed necessary.

• Support the management and ongoing implementation of lone working devices.

Employees

Have a responsibility to:

• Ensure that, if classified as a lone worker, you aware of the importance of using the Lone Worker process in place, eg Calendar, WhatsApp, Buddy or App (dependant on Risk Assessment.

• Co-operate with the organisation in discharging its statutory duty to comply with the Health & Safety At Work Act 1974 and subordinate legislation

• To take reasonable care of their health and safety and of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions

• Ensure they do not interfere with, or misuse anything provided for their safety

• Report all incidents in accordance with the organisation Incident Reporting and Management Policy

• Familiarise themselves with the organisation Health and Safety Policy and Incident Reporting and Management Policy.

Head of health, Safety and Compliance

Has a responsibility to advise on performing risk assessments and generally on health and safety and security issues.

Nominated Person (Data Protection Act)

In order to comply with the Data Protection Act 1998 (Section 6) the organisation is required to have a nominated person which will give authority to staff to withhold information to the patient that information held within records is being used to

determine measures to protect staff (i.e. decisions to double up on visits due to previous violence or unsuitable behaviour).

The nominated person must review each assessment on a case by case basis where this information is being used to determine internal controls. It is only appropriate to withhold information if it is felt that this would lead to a criminal act being committed.

The nominated person for the organisation are identified as the Service Managers

The Head of health, Safety and Compliance will provide specialist advice to nominated persons.

5. Consultation and Communication

This policy will be ratified by the Property, Health and Safety Group and the Estates and Facilities Team. Once ratified the policy will be uploaded onto the Provide Platform under MyComplaince

6. Monitoring

Provide will monitor the operation of this policy in order to:

• Measure its effectiveness

• Comply with Provides’ legal obligations

• Highlight practical issues and seek solution

7. Arrangements for Safeguarding Employees

The following elements within this policy should collectively help safeguard lone workers:

• Risk Assessment (Systm One)

• Risk Assessment

• Information Sharing

• Employee/Service user Contact

• Contact Points

• Notification of Visits

• Notification of Changes to Visits

• Notification at end of visit/end of shift

• Lone Working Devices (if identified in RA)

Risk Assessment (System One / Clinical Systems)

In accordance with the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999, a risk assessment should be completed for all ‘lone worker’ situations faced by his/her employees.

It is, of course, unrealistic to complete a risk assessment for each particular scenario, so the organisation have designed and incorporated the lone working risk assessment

template for employee to complete when visiting patient homes. This risk assessment takes into consideration 15 factors that may have a bearing on the specific approach undertaken with the visit.

Staff are expected to complete this risk assessment either on an initial visit or when incidents or areas of concern are raised. Once completed, a hazard warning sign will appear on the patient record system for all staff entering this record to view, along with recommended actions.

This assessment should be reviewed:

• At each visit;

• Post incident

• Annually

Actions required could be one, or a mixture, of the following:

• Visiting in pairs

• Calling the patient prior to the visit

• Asking for Police presence

• Emergency monitoring call system from lone working device

• Removing or obscuring identification from cars

• Refusal to visit the home

Risk Assessment

The purpose of the risk assessment process in relation to lone workers within the healthcare or community setting is to:

• Identify risks in relation to lone working

• Assess the risks to lone workers

• Implement measures to reduce the risks to lone workers, including appropriate staff training to minimise these risks

• Evaluate the control measures and ensure that risks to lone workers are appropriately managed

• Feed into the corporate risk register and quality assurance framework where appropriate

The key to risk assessment is to identify hazards, understand how and why incidents occur in lone working situations and learn from that understanding to make improvements to controls and systems to reduce the risk to the employee. To achieve this, the following factors should be considered and documented.

• type of incident risk (e.g. physical assault/theft of property or equipment)

• frequency/likelihood of incident occurring and having an impact on individuals, resources and delivery of patient care

• severity of the incident: Cost to the healthcare organisation in human and financial terms plus impact on an individual’s personal health status.

• confidence that the necessary control measures are in place or improvements are being made

• the level of concern and rated risk

• what action needs to be taken to ensure that improvements are made and risks reduced.

The “Lone Working Risk Assessment” is shown in Appendix 2.

Information Sharing

It is important that staff have access to good quality information regarding contacts and locations so that they can do their job efficiently and safely.

Where information is obtained which could have an immediate and/or serious effect on the safety of staff, the System One lone working risk assessment must be completed as a matter of urgency.

Each Manager should also ensure, so far as reasonable possible, that there is an appropriate flow of information to and from other services and outside providers, especially where there is a higher risk of assault from a service user, relative or carer.

Where necessary, employee’s should obtain as much information wherever possible from as wide a variety of sources, for example GP’s, Local authorities, Consultants, Clinics and other Hospitals etc.

It is within the law to supply/obtain information such as this where there are grounds to believe that an employee may be at risk from coming into contact with a particular person on entering a particular premise. It is also within the law to retain this information on a computer, provided the information was:

• Obtained and processed fairly and lawfully

• Held for specified lawful purposes

• Not used or disclosed in a way incompatible with the purpose(s)

• Adequate, relevant and not excessive for purpose(s)

• Accurate and up to date

• Not kept longer than necessary

• Available to the data subject

• Kept secure.

This information should be made available to all staff that may care for a particular Service user or attend a particular address.

If patient information held within any clinical record or database is being used to determine control measures for the safety of staff then the patient must be informed that this information is being used and the reason for doing so. This is in order to comply with section 6 of the Data Protection Act 2018.

If it is felt by the nominated person (DPA) that by informing the patient this would potentially lead to criminal act being committed the patient may not be informed, however, this decision can only be taken by the nominated person (DPA).

Staff must also be aware that if, at any stage during a visit, they feel unsafe, they should be reporting this to the Manager and the employee should update the relevant records as necessary.

Employee/ Service user Contact

Employees should never give out their home telephone number or personal mobile number to a Service user, relative or carer.

Employees should ensure, wherever possible, that all Service users, relatives and carers are aware of the proper channels of communication through which all requests of attendance must come.

If a request for a visit comes from another source other than the employee’s own service area, then the employee concerned or Service must make every effort to check that the call has come from a recognised source, and make as many checks on the person or address as possible.

Contact Points

One of the most important arrangements of this Policy is the requirement for Managers to know where their staff are up until the point they go home, so that their movements could be traced if necessary.

It is equally important that this information is available for staff who are called out from home.

Furthermore, where a Service user, address or area gives cause for concern, the employee should be able to advise any deviation from the planned itinerary.

These issues make it necessary for each Service to have a contact point. This contact point could be any one of, or a mixture of, the following:

• The office, staffed at all times when staff are working alone

• Access to clinical diaries

• Nominated person with a mobile phone

• Nominated person at home

• Care Call

• Manager at weekends for Community Nursing

• Care Managers

• Access to a lone working device

• For office-based staff (e.g. Managers, Directors), their office support/admin staff become the contact points.

The contact point would be the person or persons who should know the movements of all employees when the employee has expressed concern and wish their movements to be monitored.

The contact point would also have all the details about the employee so that appropriate steps could be taken in the unlikely event of an employee failing to return to the office or call in at the end of a visit.

These details should include, for each employee, their:

• Name

• Address, home telephone number and any emergency contact

• Mobile phone

• Time started work

• Itinerary of visits:

o Name, address and telephone number of each Service user - the order of visits

• Expected time of finish, or call-in

• Car registration, make and model

Notification of Visits

As previously mentioned, it is a requirement of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, that employers are aware of their employees movements, so far as is reasonably practicable, but without it being too onerous.

The hazards identified on the System One risk assessment or lone worker risk assessment present a higher level of risk at certain times of day, in certain weather conditions, or in certain places. It is under these circumstances that a higher level of caution needs to be exercised.

For example, a District Nurse attending eight addresses already known to them could be happy for colleague to have no contact with colleagues all day and only make a final check-in call when finished and going home.

However, a Domiciliary Care worker attending an unknown address during the hours of darkness may wish to log the visit with the contact point and advice of an expected time of finishing.

The method of notifying visits must be by mutual agreement between managers and employees, e.g. by mobile phone, buddy, WhatsApp and What 3 Words.

Notification of Changes to Visits

Planned visits can sometimes be missed out or visits varied during the course of the day for a number of reasons.

Whilst, generally speaking, this does not cause a problem, there may be occasions where the employee feels that the contact point should be notified of the change to the itinerary.

The contact point should cater for these occasions.

Notification of end of visit or end of shift

It is important that the organisation knows where and when a lone worker employee has finished work. Each Service’s system must enable staff to call in at the end of the day/shift.

If staff are still out on visits when one contact point closes, the staff concerned must be aware of the contact point to which they must report at the end of the day/shift.

Procedure in the event of a lone worker employee not calling in at the end of a visit/shift

In some instances, it may be felt that a lone worker should contact a designated person / team at the end of the shift. If this is the case then the following information should be to hand:

• Name

• Address

• Home Telephone No.

• Mobile Telephone No.

• Car details (registration, make, model, colour)

• Expected time of call-in

• List of Service users, or details of journey being undertaken

Initial response:

The designated team / person, after allowing a reasonable time for an overdue call-in, should attempt to track the employee’s movements by using the information above, until found.

Escalation:

If, however, at any time the designated person / service becomes sufficiently concerned for the safety of an employee, an escalation procedure must be in place. See Section 6.

8. Training

Staff working alone should know that their safety comes first. They should not be in situations, which make them feel unsafe.

To assist with this staff should be aware of, and arrange as appropriate, training for lone working employees on our conflict resolution training.

9. Incident Reporting

Staff should make themselves familiar with the contents of the Provide ‘Incident Reporting and Management Policy’.

Employees must report all incidents including near misses using the ‘Incident Reporting and Management Policy’ procedure. Managers must fully investigate all Incident Report Forms submitted to them and complete the appropriate action/areas for improvement sections in accordance with the Incident Reporting Policy.

Managers should be aware that if necessary, an employee assistance scheme is available for staff through Human Resources.

10.Disciplinary Procedures

All members of staff are to be aware that it may be a disciplinary matter if they persistently fail to follow this policy including their responsibility to carry their lone working device.

11.Guidance

There is plenty of Guidance on Provide Platform that can assist with Lone working

Appendix 1: Lone Working Guidance

Introduction

This guidance forms part of the Lone Working Policy and should be used in conjunction with the policy as an additional aid in keeping Provide staff safe. Staff should familiarise themselves with the guidance, using the points contained in the guidance during their working day. This guidance will form part of the Lone Working training.

Guidance for Lone Workers in the Community

DO ensure you follow basic personal safety guidance when visiting patient homes:

• Always reverse into a parking space, so you are able to drive quickly away in the event of a problem.

• Always try to park your car in a well-lit area during the hours of darkness.

• Carry a torch with you.

• If you have a mobile phone, ensure it is switched on

• If you do not wear a Provide uniform, ensure you wear clothes that are comfortable and footwear you can run in, if necessary.

• Consider the environment you are entering, in a patient’s home, always ensure that you are positioned nearest the exit so if necessary you can leave without having to go past a potential aggressor.

• Inform your manager immediately if an incident occurred and complete an incident form as quickly as possible. This will ensure the organisation is made aware of the incident and can take action to support you and to alert other staff to similar risks.

Guidance on Travelling Alone

By Car:

• Keep your car regularly maintained and serviced (if possible, join a breakdown organisation).

• Ensure you have your lone working device on you

• Carry out basic vehicle checks.

• Carry a torch, loose change/phone card, useful telephone numbers.

• Vary your routine occasionally if you have a regular routine.

• Lock all doors whilst traveling.

• Conceal any valuables, e.g. purses, mobile telephones.

• Remove any items which identify your sex or profession e.g. stickers.

• Don’t get boxed in whilst driving or stopped in traffic.

• Do not pull up directly alongside a vehicle if you feel the driver/occupants are pestering you and AVOID EYE CONTACT.

On Foot:

• Choose busy, well-lit routes, avoid dark deserted roads, alleyways, and waste ground.

• Ensure you have your lone working device with you

• Walk in the middle or carriageway side of the pavement.

• Consider crossing the road, rather than using subways.

• If need be, try to “tag on” to other people, preferably couples going your way.

• Walk facing the traffic. If this is not possible and a car pulls up, turn around and walk in the opposite direction.

• Walk deliberately and assertively.

• Do not look at maps/A-Z in full view of the public.

• Carry your keys, money and means of identification on your person, e.g. in your pockets.

• GET AWAY - Walking fast is usually safer than trying to run. If you think someone is following you, check by crossing and re-crossing the street.

• If they persist, move quickly to the nearest place with people and call the police.

• If a vehicle stops next to you and you are threatened, turn and move quickly in the opposite direction. You can turn faster than a car. Make for the nearest public place and phone the police.

Parking:

• Choose somewhere well lit, with plenty of people and public buildings around.

• Visualise what your parking space may look like if you have to return in the dark.

• Try to avoid multi-storey car parks (if this is impossible try to park near to the attendant, or near to entrance/exit).

• Always reverse into a parking space (the doors will act as a barrier, and it’s quicker for driving away)

• Have a good look around before you get out of your car.

• Retract your aerial, engage your steering lock.

• Cars should always be locked when left unattended.

• Unless in exceptional circumstances, Lifts should not be given to or accepted from any stranger nor patients or caregivers unless well known.

• Conceal any items of clothing or bags, put all valuables in the boot, wind up all windows, secure sun roof, lock all doors, even if for a few seconds, e.g. on a garage forecourt.

• Consider carrying a torch and personal alarm.

• Have your keys ready on returning to your car.

• On approach to your car, check for any persons loitering about your vehicle.

• Do not leave bags on the roof or bonnet whilst you open your car door.

• Look for any signs of tempering before you get in, and check there is no one inside.

Guidance for Working in Isolation

Staff may find they have to work in isolated buildings with few or no other staff immediately on hand. Lone working in buildings should be avoided, wherever possible.

The following precautions should be taken:

• Ensure that another professional is present when treating patients who are known to be a particular problem.

• Where a member of staff is working alone but other colleagues are in the building, ensure that assistance can be summoned.

• Remember, problems do not just occur after dark, and proper measures should be introduced to protect staff working alone in isolated area during the day.

• Make full use of any security measures provided, i.e. lock access doors behind you, where appropriate.

Guidance for Lone Workers on Provide Premises

To ensure clients are not seen alone, clinic appointments should not be booked outside clinic hours. Should clinics over-run normal working hours, your Manager should be told.

As a general rule, Clinic Administrators and other staff should not be dealing with members of the public when working alone in a building. Steps should be taken to ensure that the admittance of patients before or after normal office hours is minimized unless adequate staffing can be guaranteed.

At all times remember and recognize that if you feel your safety may be compromised, do not admit an unknown or known person to the premises until more than one member of staff is present.

In any event, any member of staff who is working alone in a building should ensure that the building is secure.

Consider the physical environment with regards to personal safety and risk, in consultation rooms for example, always ensure that you are seated nearest the exit so you can leave the room without having to go past a potential aggressor.

EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT

TEMPLATE: Stage 1: ‘Screening’

Name of project/policy/strategy (hereafter referred to as “initiative”):

Lone Working Policy

Provide a brief summary (bullet points) of the aims of the initiative and main activities:

Project/Policy Manager: Health, Safety, Fire and Security

Date: Nov 2023

This stage establishes whether a proposed initiative will have an impact from an equality perspective on any particular group of people or community – i.e. on the grounds of race (incl. religion/faith), gender (incl. sexual orientation), age, disability, or whether it is “equality neutral” (i.e. have no effect either positive or negative). In the case of gender, consider whether men and women are affected differently.

Q1. Who will benefit from this initiative? Is there likely to be a positive impact on specific groups/communities (whether or not they are the intended beneficiaries), and if so, how? Or is it clear at this stage that it will be equality “neutral”? i.e. will have no particular effect on any group.

Neutral

Q2. Is there likely to be an adverse impact on one or more minority/under-represented or community groups as a result of this initiative? If so, who may be affected and why? Or is it clear at this stage that it will be equality “neutral”?

Neutral

Q3. Is the impact of the initiative – whether positive or negative - significant enough to warrant a more detailed assessment (Stage 2 – see guidance)? If not, will there be monitoring and review to assess the impact over a period time? Briefly (bullet points) give reasons for your answer and any steps you are taking to address particular issues, including any consultation with staff or external groups/agencies.

Neutral

Guidelines: Things to consider

Equality impact assessments at Provide take account of relevant equality legislation and include age, (i.e. young and old,); race and ethnicity, gender, disability, religion and faith, and sexual orientation.

The initiative may have a positive, negative or neutral impact, i.e. have no particular effect on the group/community.

Where a negative (i.e. adverse) impact is identified, it may be appropriate to make a more detailed EIA (see Stage 2), or, as important, take early action to redress this – e.g. by abandoning or modifying the initiative. NB: If the initiative contravenes equality legislation, it must be abandoned or modified.

Where an initiative has a positive impact on groups/community relations, the EIA should make this explicit, to enable the outcomes to be monitored over its lifespan.

Where there is a positive impact on particular groups does this mean there could be an adverse impact on others, and if so can this be justified? - e.g. are there other existing or planned initiatives which redress this?

It may not be possible to provide detailed answers to some of these questions at the start of the initiative. The EIA may identify a lack of relevant data, and that data-gathering is a specific action required to inform the initiative as it develops, and also to form part of a continuing evaluation and review process.

It is envisaged that it will be relatively rare for full impact assessments to be carried out at Provide. Usually, where there are particular problems identified in the screening stage, it is envisaged that the approach will be amended at this stage, and/or setting up a monitoring/evaluation system to review a policy’s impact over time.

EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE: Stage 2:

(To be used where the ‘screening phase has identified a substantial problem/concern)

This stage examines the initiative in more detail in order to obtain further information where required about its potential adverse or positive impact from an equality perspective. It will help inform whether any action needs to be taken and may form part of a continuing assessment framework as the initiative develops.

Q1. What data/information is there on the target beneficiary groups/communities? Are any of these groups under- or over-represented? Do they have access to the same resources? What are your sources of data and are there any gaps?

N/A

Q2. Is there a potential for this initiative to have a positive impact, such as tackling discrimination, promoting equality of opportunity and good community relations? If yes, how? Which are the main groups it will have an impact on?

N/A

Q3. Will the initiative have an adverse impact on any particular group or community/community relations? If yes, in what way? Will the impact be different for different groups – e.g. men and women?

N/A

Q4. Has there been consultation/is consultation planned with stakeholders/ beneficiaries/ staff who will be affected by the initiative? Summarise (bullet points) any important issues arising from the consultation.

N/A

Q5. Given your answers to the previous questions, how will your plans be revised to reduce/eliminate negative impact or enhance positive impact? Are there specific factors which need to be taken into account?

N/A

Q6. How will the initiative continue to be monitored and evaluated, including its impact on particular groups/ improving community relations? Where appropriate, identify any additional data that will be required.

Guidelines: Things to consider

N/A

An initiative may have a positive impact on some sectors of the community but leave others excluded or feeling they are excluded. Consideration should be given to how this can be tackled or minimised. It is important to ensure that relevant groups/communities are identified who should be consulted. This may require taking positive action to engage with those groups who are traditionally less likely to respond to consultations, and could form a specific part of the initiative. The consultation process should form a meaningful part of the initiative as it develops, and help inform any future action.

If the EIA shows an adverse impact, is this because it contravenes any equality legislation? If so, the initiative must be modified or abandoned. There may be another way to meet the objective(s) of the initiative.

Further information:

Useful Websites

www.equalityhumanrights.com Website for new Equality agency www.employers-forum.co.uk – Employers forum on disability www.disabilitynow.org.uk – online disability related newspaper www.womenandequalityunit.gov.uk – Gender issues in more depth www.opportunitynow.org.uk - Employer member organisation (gender) www.efa.org.uk – Employers forum on age www.agepositive.gov.uk – Age issues in more depth