interviews

Protecting lone workers

The NHS Lone Worker Service, used by over 40,000 staff in England, has hugely improved the safety of healthcare workers out on their own. Reliance High-Tech was recently retained as the accredited supplier of the framework, under which it has provided services since 2009. NHE spoke to Marsha Dennis, lone worker protection security management specialist at NHS Protect, which oversees the contract.

Lone workers in the health service face specific risks, as they often work in the community away from colleagues and with individual patients.

Some of them are similar risks to those faced by staff working within hospitals or other facilities, just in a different context – for example verbal abuse or physical assault.

Others are much more likely to happen to lone workers, such as theft or robbery if they are carrying laptops, drugs, or expensive equipment.

Some lone workers do work within NHS facilities, just without colleagues nearby.

Marsha Dennis of NHS protect is a specialist in the protection of lone workers, and told us: “The most common incident factors a lone worker can face are verbal abuse, physical aggression, people blocking exits, alcohol and weapons.

“There are many risk factors. One of the most significant aspects is that incidents can happen in a patient’s home.

“Some of the other factors include the fact that a visit can be at either day or night; if it’s late at night, or staff are carrying valuable items such as laptops or drugs, that can increase the risk.”

Policy and procedures

She said the dynamics are different to staff working within healthcare facilities, and declined to comment on whether the risks were actively greater, but she said: “We have the Health and Safety at Work (etc) Act 1974, and the Management of Health and Safety At Work Regulations 1999, which apply to all organisations.

“These set out the legal framework to ensure the appropriate risk assessment measures are implemented.

“So for an employer, they must make sure they use that guidance as a part of producing any policy and procedures, and incorporate that within their training, including for lone workers.”

Under the agreement, staff who are risk assessed to need it can make use of a protective device, Identicom, to put them in touch with a security control room.

Dennis explained: “The second generation Identicom devices have a two-way communication option with the alarm handlers. They also have a ‘man down’ function which automatically raises an alarm if someone trips or falls.

“It would then signal a red alert to the Reliance operator standing by. As part of your training, we’d provide you with guidance on dealing with accidental trips or falls. “It’s also got improved performance through the GPS and GSM functionality. Those are all part of the new capabilities of the device we’re offering as part of the framework.”

The new framework also extends to other public sector bodies.

Award-winning

The Identicom device has previously won the ACPO Award at the IFSEC Security Industry Innovation Awards and the Best Security Innovation at the Security Excellence Awards, while the NHS Lone Worker Service itself was a winner at the National Personal Safety Awards 2010, run by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust.

The monitoring centre that staff can contact using the devices is continuously staffed and BS 5979 Category II approved.

If a ‘red alert’ is received, operators listen in and capture recordings of everything that takes place, and can respond by calling out the emergency services, alerting colleagues or supervisors, or in another appropriate way.

The quality of recordings means they are admissible in court.

The new framework also introduced smartphone apps to provide increased safety and security, especially for lower risk category users.

When Reliance High-Tech was confirmed as the reaccredited supplier of services, Nick Martin, area security manager for NHS Protect, said: “With the help and support of the Reliance Protect team we have listened to our 40,000 users.

“The new NHS framework agreement offers competitive prices, improved flexibility and increased safety and security.”

Training and e-learning

Talking about how lone workers and potential lone workers can get hold of the right equipment and training, Dennis said: “NHS staff can always speak to their line managers. If they require any of the devices or mobile applications under the framework agreement, comprehensive training on how to use the device can be provided, plus ongoing refresher training for users when required. So dependent on your framework, and the life of the contract you decide to take out, you’ll always have refresher training to provide you with a bit more information if required.

“Under the framework we have with Reliance High-Tech, they provide face-to-face sessions covering how and when to use the device, in the context of their specific role, as that’s not always going to be exactly the same.

“Staff will also be provided with training sessions and e-learning within the customer portal, and teleconference sessions. This training is specific to Reliance High-Tech and does not cover the wider lone worker issues. However, NHS Protect provides overarching guidelines and support to the trusts, and then the trusts would have the responsibility to take those guidelines and produce their own policies and procedures and doing the risk assessments of lone workers. They will need to make sure that this is all incorporated within their training.

“The employer will need to carry out a risk assessment of their staff, which would allow them to identify the measures they need to put in place. It doesn’t always have to be a device; it could be a buddy system, an electronic diary, or an emergency phone number. Depending on what comes out of the risk assessment, the line manager can make a decision about what sort of measure is best to prevent these sorts of things from happening.”

Looking after yourself

But Dennis added: “It’s important to note that employees also have a responsibility to take reasonable care of themselves, and to work with their employer, under the legal frameworks mentioned earlier. They need to make full use of their training, and of their employers’ policies and procedures. They should participate in making improvements, too: it’s an ongoing process.”

Alarms are escalated to the police where warranted, via the new dedicated police lone worker Unique Reference Number (URN) system, guaranteeing those alarms are passed to the police in the shortest time possible. Dennis explained: “The police lone worker unique reference number was developed by ACPO, and it enables companies like Reliance to escalate situations that warrant a police response.

“They will use an ex-directory line to report directly into the police control rooms for immediate or priority response.”

Looking to the future, Dennis suggested there are likely to be more lone workers in the NHS as more services are offered in the community and closer to people’s homes.

She said new technology is likely to further improve the quality of care that can be delivered by such workers, but also their safety.

She concluded: “It’s important that trusts continue to review their risk assessments: they should never be complacent.

“They should always be cautious on behalf of any staff who becomes a lone worker.”