Lone Worker Policy

LONE WORKER POLICY

Version / 6
Name of responsible (ratifying) committee / Health & Safety
Date ratified / 02 November 2016
Document Manager (job title) / Health & Safety Adviser
Date issued / 05 December 2016
Review date / 30 November 2018
Electronic location / Health and Safety Policies
Related Procedural Documents / -
Key Words (to aid with searching) / Lone Worker Personal safety; Violence to staff; Staff welfare; Security; Hazards; Risk assessment; Working environment; Forms; Health service staff

Version Tracking

Version / Date Ratified / Brief Summary of Changes / Author
6 / 02.11.2016 / No changes / J Cattle
5 / 05.11.2014 / Policy re-write / J Cattle

CONTENTS

QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE 3

1. INTRODUCTION 4

2. PURPOSE 4

3. SCOPE 4

4. DEFINITIONS 4

5. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 5

6. PROCESS 8

7. TRAINING REQUIREMENTS 21

8. REFERENCES AND ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTATION 22

9. EQUALITY IMPACT STATEMENT 23

10. MONITORING COMPLIANCE WITH PROCEDURAL DOCUMENTS 24

QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE

This policy must be followed in full when developing or reviewing and amending Trust procedural documents.

For quick reference the guide below is a summary of actions required. This does not negate the need for the document author and others involved in the process to be aware of and follow the detail of this policy.

1. Identification of Lone Workers

2. Identification of Risks

3. Implement and manage control measures

4. Share relevant information

5. Post incident Action

6. Post Incident review

1.  INTRODUCTION

Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust are committed to ensuring the safety of its employees who are exposed to risks arising from lone working activities both within and away from a recognised workplace or base.

The Trust has a statutory duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 to identify work hazards, assess the risks involved and implement suitable and sufficient measures to avoid or control the risks, which includes the risks associated with lone working.

2.  PURPOSE

Therefore, the aim of the policy and the guidelines is to eliminate the potential risks associated with lone working and where this is not possible, the risks will be minimised to the lowest possible level so far as is reasonably practicable

3.  SCOPE

This document applies to all directly and indirectly employed staff within Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust and other persons working within the organisation in line with the Trust’s Equal Opportunities Document. This document is also recommended to Independent Contractors as good practice

The policy is specifically aimed at those employees whose work is intended to be carried out unaccompanied or without immediate access to another person for assistance; this mainly includes Trust employees who tend to work alone, which includes employees working from home and who visit patients

‘In the event of an infection outbreak, flu pandemic or major incident, the Trust recognises that it may not be possible to adhere to all aspects of this document. In such circumstances, staff should take advice from their manager and all possible action must be taken to maintain ongoing patient and staff safety’

4.  DEFINITIONS

Lone Working

The NHS Protect defines lone working as:

·  any situation or location in which someone works without a colleague nearby; or when someone is working out of sight or earshot of another colleague.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) defines lone workers as:

·  those who work by themselves without close or direct supervision.

Dynamic Risk Assessment:

“the continuous assessment of risk in the rapidly changing circumstances of an operational incident, in order to implement the control measures necessary to ensure an acceptable level of safety”

(HM Fire Service Inspectorate 1998)

Examples of Lone Workers - below is a list of some typical examples of NHS lone workers in community care, mental health and learning disability and social care sectors, the list is not exhaustive:

·  ambulance personnel, such as patient transport services

·  a receptionist working alone in a clinic reception area

·  community midwives

·  community clinical staff

·  staff who see patients/service users for individual sessions in wards or clinics

·  nursing and clinical staff on escort duty

·  carers in the community and in community homes

·  a technician working alone in a laboratory to provide an out-of-hours service

·  those who provide primary care services, such as single-handed GP practices, community pharmacists and dentists or opticians (they may provide out-of-hours services, dispense controlled drugs/emergency medicines or make domiciliary visits)

·  NHS security staff on patrols, particularly at night

·  a hospital porter conveying medicines/samples etc to wards and departments, using corridors and public walkways where they might not come into contact with any other colleagues

·  staff who have to travel between NHS sites and premises to provide a service

·  on-call staff required to respond to clinical or non-clinical emergencies out of hours and off-site – for example, clinicians and estates engineers

·  those who open (or reopen) and close NHS buildings either early in the morning or late at night

·  smoke-stop coordinators or counsellors

·  NHS staff who use areas off-site to smoke

·  NHS staff travelling to and from vehicles/bicycles parked on NHS premises or in the community.

5.  DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Chief Executive

The Chief Officer has a legal duty to ensure the health, safety and welfare of those employees who work for the organisation including the protection of lone workers. The Security Management Director (SMD) has overall responsibility for operational aspects.

The Board

In accordance with the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007, having overall responsibility for ensuring that the health and safety management systems relating to Lone Working are effectively implemented, monitored and reviewed.

Security Management Director:

·  is responsible for ensuring that appropriate security management provisions are made within the NHS organisation to protect lone working staff

·  should ensure that measures to protect lone workers complies with all relevant health and safety legislation, and takes into account NHS Protect guidance

·  has overall responsibility for the protection of lone workers by gaining assurance that policies, procedures and systems to protect lone workers are implemented

·  has responsibility for raising the profile of security management work at board level and getting their support and backing for important security management strategies and initiatives

·  has responsibility for the nomination and appointment of Local Security Management Specialists (LSMS) and through continued liaison to ensure that security management work (including the protection of lone workers) is being undertaken to the highest standard

·  should work with the Risk Management Team to oversee the effectiveness of risk reporting, assessment and management processes for the protection of lone workers. Where there are foreseeable risks, the SMD should gain assurance that all steps have been taken to avoid or control the risks.

The SMD for Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust is the Director of Nursing and Quality

Local Security Management Specialist (LSMS):

·  will assist the Trust Health & safety Adviser to update policies and procedures for the safety of lone workers

·  advises the organisation on systems, processes and procedures to improve personal safety of lone workers and make sure that proper preventative measures are in place

·  advises the organisation on appropriate and proportionate physical security, technology and support systems that improves personal safety of lone workers. Ensure that this is appropriate, proportionate and meets the needs of the organisation and lone worker

·  plays an active part in assisting managers identifying hazards, assessment and management of risks. Advises on the proper security provisions needed to mitigate the risks and protect lone workers.

·  in the event of an incident, the LSMS is to liaise with the police to allow for any follow up action.

·  Should be involved in any post incident root cause analysis, working with managers to identify any shortcomings and learn from them, ensuring that appropriate measures are taken to negate or mitigate future failings.

Service/Team Managers:

·  are to identify all staff who are lone workers, based on recognised definitions, (see section 2)

·  will ensure that this policy and all other relevant policies and procedures are disseminated to staff

·  will ensure that a proper risk assessment is conducted (in consultation with the relevant personnel) to ensure that all risks from lone working are identified and that proper control measures have been introduced to minimise, or mitigate the risks before staff enter a lone working situation

·  will forward copies of all local lone working procedures to the LSMS for quality assurance and audit purposes

·  will ensure that lone workers are provided with sufficient information, training, instruction and supervision before entering a lone worker situation

·  will ensure physical measures are put in place and appropriate technology is made available to ensure the safety of lone workers

·  that staff have received conflict resolution training and device training provided by the service supplier in the event of being issued with lone worker devices

·  will ensure that all the relevant staff undertake regular reviews of hazards and associated risks to make sure that all measures are effective and continue to meet the requirements of the lone worker

·  are to ensure that they forward copies of all agreed local lone working and escalation procedures to the LSMS.

·  where a security incident has occurred, must make sure that the employee completes an incident reporting form as soon as possible and this gets reported to the LSMS

·  where someone has been assaulted, must ensure that the individual is properly de-briefed, undergoes a physical assessment, any injuries are documented and they receive access to appropriate post incident support

·  will ensure that following an incident, a risk assessment is carried out as soon as possible and immediate control measures are put in place. This is prior to a formalised review of lessons learnt following an incident.

Lone working staff members:

·  have a responsibility to do all they can to ensure their own safety and that of their colleagues and follow the local service procedure. This is in line with current health and safety legislation

·  will undertake all relevant training including conflict resolution training and device specific training before entering a lone worker situation

·  are to seek advice from their line manager, action guidance, procedures and instruction to avoid putting themselves or their colleagues at risk

·  will conduct proper planning prior to a visit and utilise continual dynamic risk assessment during a visit. Explain that staff should never put themselves or their colleagues at risk and if they feel at risk they should withdraw immediately and seek further advice or assistance

·  are to properly utilise all appropriate technology which has been provided for their own personal safety, ensure that they attend training in the use of such technology and associated support services, where provided

·  must report all incidents even where they consider it to be a minor incident, including ‘near misses’ to enable appropriate follow up action to be taken

The Health & safety Committee:

·  In accordance with the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007, ensuring that the health and safety management systems relating to Lone Workers are effectively implemented, monitored and reviewed.

6.  PROCESS

6.1 Legislation/Regulation

Clause 24 of the NHS Standard Provider Contract

Clause 24 requires the Board

• Nominate an Executive Director to lead work to tackle violence against staff and the management of security.

• Record physical assaults, verbal abuse and all criminal acts and security breaches on a national incident reporting system

• Appoint an accredited Local Security Manager Specialist (LSMS) to investigate cases of assault, whether it is physical or otherwise, damage to or theft of Trust property where the police are not investigating and to liaise with the police service and Crown Prosecution Service.

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

NHS organisations have responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, particularly in relation to employers ensuring, as far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of employees at work.

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

These Regulations require employers to assess risks to employees and non employees and make arrangements for effective planning, organisation, control, monitoring and review of health and safety risks.

Where appropriate, employers must assess the risks of violence to employees and, if necessary, put in place control measures to protect them.

Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 (a) and The Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996 (b)

Employers must inform and consult with employees in good time on matters relating to their health and safety. Employee representatives, either appointed by recognised trade unions under (a) or elected under (b) may make representations to their employer on matters affecting the health and safety of those they represent.

The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007

This legislation creates a new offence under which an organisation (rather than any individual) can be prosecuted and face an unlimited fine, particularly if an organisation is in gross breach of health and safety standards and the duty of care owed to the deceased.

6.2 Procedure

The Risk Management Process

Safe lone working is reliant on the judgement of the staff member making the risk assessment and, if applicable, conducting the visit, whether this is a first visit or as part of an ongoing care plan

Risk Management is to be conducted in accordance with the Risk Management Policy. A full guide to the process is contained within that document.

Any questions regarding the Risk Management Process are to be directed to the Head of Risk Management.

Identification of risks

The identification of risks relies on using all available information in relation to lone working to ensure that the risk of future incidents can be minimised. This includes learning from operational experience of previous incidents and involving feedback from all staff and stakeholders. It is therefore essential that staff are encouraged to report identified risks to managers, as well as ‘near misses’, so that a risk assessment can be carried out, appropriate action taken and control measures put in place.