What Is Lone Working in the NHS?

WHAT IS LONE WORKING IN THE NHS?

NHS Protect defines lone working as ‘any situation, or location, in which someone works without close or direct supervision; without a colleague nearby, or is out of sight or earshot of another colleague’.This broad definition could refer to those who routinely work in a hospital or general practice environment, where staff care for patients or
service users on their own without the support of other colleagues. It could also relate to staff working in the community where care is provided in the patient’s home or in a non-clinical environment.

Due to reduced budgets, a greater use of technology (such as laptops and tablets) and a move towards mobile working, an increasing number of health and social care staff are now working alone.Lone working may be a part of a person’s usual job or it could occur infrequently, as and when the circumstances dictate. The diverse range of roles which could come under the umbrella of lone working includes:

Receptionist in a waiting area

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

Community mental health workers

District nurse

Patient transport services

Hospital porter

NHS security staff on patrols

Lab technician

Ambulance personnel

On-call staff required to respond out of hours

Lone working health care staff are around 9% more likely to sustain an injury from a physical assault compared to non-lone workers²

²www.networks.nhs.uk/nhs-networks/nhs-lone-worker-protection-service/documents/lone-worker-estate-mapping-report

PROTECTING STAFF FROM VIOLENCE

NHS organisations can’t ignore or dismiss the chances of violence towards their staff. They have a duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of all of their workers which includes establishing procedures to be followed in the event of serious or imminent danger.Past prosecutions demonstrate the penalties which the NHS could face if they fail to follow procedures. In one example, a trust was fined £28,000 when a nurse was injured by a psychiatric patient. The junior staff member was working at a distance from colleagues, without clear procedures or adequate measures to check on his safety.

Without the immediate support of colleagues or security staff, lone workers are more vulnerable and at an increased risk of verbal threats and physical abuse from patients, their relatives or members of the public.

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic there was an increase in violence and abuse directed towards NHS workers with reports of racial abuse, staff being spat on and doctors being punched whilst treating COVID-19 patients.

REAL NHS ALARM

An NHS mental health nurse was in a GP surgery when he activated his personal safety device.

Our ARC controller could hear heavy breathing and shouting and therefore asked the user if they were OK.

The user advised that he needed the police as he had been stabbed and the perpetrator was still on the scene.

The user’s location was confirmed and the Controller immediately used the unique reference number (URN) to bypass the 999 system and contact the police.

The police and ambulance arrived on the scene within 4 minutes.

*Alarm raised in the Peoplesafe ARC June 2020