Fillable Printable Lone Working Policy Sample
Fillable Printable Lone Working Policy Sample
Lone Working Policy Sample
Registered Office: 5 Eclipse House, Somerset Place Lane, Stoke, Plymouth, PL3 4BH
Company Number: 5842342
LONE WORKING
Policy Statement
Premier Care (Plymouth) Limited believes that lone workers should not be at more risk
than other employees.
Premier Care (Plymouth) Limited understands lone workers to be those who work without
close or direct supervision or company for substantial periods of time. This includes most
domiciliary care staff who visit and care for service users in their own homes. In this
context Premier Care (Plymouth) Limited understands its duty as an employer being to
assess any risks to lone workers and take steps to avoid or control those risks where
necessary.
Premier Care (Plymouth) Limited recognises that staff working alone in potentially isolate
conditions have no immediate back up or support and so are at a greater risk of injury
through aggression or violence directed towards them from service users, relatives, carers
or the general public.
Premier Care (Plymouth) Limited also recognises that staff working alone need to rely on
their own judgement and initiative and may be at a greater risk of making mistakes or
errors.
Premier Care (Plymouth) Limited believes that training is particularly important for lone
workers and research shows that adequate training is the single most critical factor in
avoiding panic reactions in unusual situations. In particular lone workers need to be
deemed competent to work alone, to be sufficiently experienced and to understand the
risks and precautions needed fully.
Premier Care (Plymouth) Limited understands its duty as an employer to ensure
employees are competent to deal not only with the day to day facets of their work but with
circumstances which are new, unusual or beyond the scope of their training, for example,
if threatened with aggression and violence.
Premier Care (Plymouth) Limited adheres fully to Outcome 14: Supporting Workers of
the Essential Standards of Quality and Safety and Regulation 23: of the Health and
Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010, which relates to
receiving appropriate training, professional development, supervision and appraisal.
Lone Workers' Supervision Policy
By definition lone workers are those who work without constant supervision throughout
their working day, therefore procedures must be put in place to monitor lone workers to
ensure they remain safe and to provide supervision on a regular basis. This includes
supervisors periodically visiting and observing those working alone and regular contact
between the lone worker and supervision by telephone.
Registered Office: 5 Eclipse House, Somerset Place Lane, Stoke, Plymouth, PL3 4BH
Company Number: 5842342
Premier Care (Plymouth) Limited believes that supervision helps to ensure that employees
understand the risks associated with their work and that the necessary safety precautions
are carried out. The extent of supervision required depends on the risks involved and the
ability of the lone worker to identify and handle health and safety issues.
Lone Workers' Security Policy
When a member of staff visits a client in their own home he or she may be at risk through
health and safety hazards in and around service users' homes and of physical or verbal
assaults and hostility from service users, relatives and the general public. Recent evidence
suggests that such incidents may be on the increase and home visiting protocols should
take this into account, particularly in high risk areas such as high crime rate areas.
At Premier Care (Plymouth) Limited:
The assessment of all new referrals should include a risk assessment which includes
threats from health and safety hazards and from aggression and violence and other
threats to lone working
Lone workers should carry mobile phones so that they can summon help quickly; all
phones should include an emergency number which will be attended at all times that
staff are working
Administration staff in the central office should log and keep details of all home visits as
well as having access to the names, addresses and telephone numbers of Service users
Administration staff in the central office should contact the duty manager in the event of
any emergency situations
In a situation where a lone worker feels under immediate threat of their physical safety
they should contact the main office/on-call or the police directly. If contacting the main
office/on-call the Manager/Directors would contact the police for them if required, the
Manager/Directors should be careful to take all appropriate information from the lone
worker, such as location and telephone number, and to pass this on to the police, after
the incident the lone worker should fill in an incident for.
It is strongly advised that staff carry in their cars the absolute minimum amount of
equipment and that they always park their car in a well lit, public place if at all possible.
Thefts from cars are a major area of concern and muggings of care staff are a real threat,
especially in high crime areas. If on foot then care staff should avoid dark, unlit, isolated
routes to work.
In cases where care is to be provided in a high crime area or to a service user with a
known history of aggression or violence associated with them, then a full risk assessment
should be completed by the supervisor/manager. Where there is significant risk then the
support plan should be altered accordingly, either by reviewing the case with the relevant
case manager or by arranging for support workers to attend in pairs.
Untoward Incidents
Untoward incidents, including all incidents which involve the use or threat of aggression or
violence, should be regularly reviewed and audited.
Registered Office: 5 Eclipse House, Somerset Place Lane, Stoke, Plymouth, PL3 4BH
Company Number: 5842342
Training
All staff should read this policy. As part of the induction process supervisors must satisfy
themselves that each member of staff is competent and safe to work alone and that they
are clear about how to act in ways that will maximise their own safety and about what to do
in an emergency situation.
Issue number: 3
Date: 30/03/2012
Review Date: 29/03/2015
Written by: Karen Davies
Position in Organisation: Registered Manager
