Login

CH23-Lone Working and Staff Safety Policy

{{org_field_logo}}

{{org_field_name}}

Registration Number: {{org_field_registration_no}}

Lone Working and Staff Safety Policy

Purpose and Scope

This policy outlines {{org_field_name}}’s commitment to protecting the health, safety and welfare of staff who may work alone within our residential or nursing care home facility. It is designed in the voice of a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspector, emphasizing compliance with current CQC standards and best practices. The policy applies only to staff working on-site in our care home (including care staff, nurses, ancillary and support staff) and not to domiciliary or community care settings. While lone working is often associated with home care, care home employees can also find themselves working alone – for example, during night shifts or in isolated parts of the building. This policy ensures that we meet our legal obligations under health and safety law and aligns with CQC’s fundamental standards for safe, well-led care services.

Definitions – Lone Working in a Care Home

Lone working refers to any situation where a staff member performs their duties without immediate presence or close supervision of colleagues. In simple terms, a lone worker is someone who “works on their own, with no direct or close supervision”. Within a care home, this can occur when a person is the sole staff member on duty or when they are physically isolated from co-workers. Examples include: a single care assistant on an overnight shift; a nurse attending to residents in one wing while colleagues are elsewhere; a maintenance or cleaning staff member working in a remote area of the facility; or any staff member temporarily alone with a resident. During these periods, the lone worker does not have another staff member immediately available to assist or summon, which may increase certain risks.

It is important to note that working alone is not inherently unsafe, but lone workers can be more vulnerable because there is no one to help if something goes wrong. For the purposes of this policy, “staff” includes all employees, agency workers, or contractors working on our premises. “Residents with challenging behaviours” refers to service users who, due to cognitive impairment, mental health, or other factors, may exhibit aggression, violence, or unpredictable behavior that could pose a risk to themselves or others. Understanding these definitions ensures clarity about when this policy is to be followed.

Risk Assessment Procedures for Lone Working

Risk assessment is the cornerstone of preventing harm in lone working situations. In accordance with the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, {{org_field_name}} will identify and assess all potential hazards faced by lone workers and take steps to mitigate them. We follow the five-step risk assessment process recommended by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE):

  1. Identify Hazards: Recognize anything with the potential to cause harm to a lone worker. This includes environmental hazards (e.g. poor lighting, unlocked access at night), work-related hazards (like a task that requires two people), and person-specific hazards (for example, a resident known to be aggressive).
  2. Determine Who May Be Harmed and How: Consider which staff might be exposed to each hazard and in what way. For instance, night staff face risk of violence or intruders, housekeeping staff working in isolated areas might be vulnerable to accidents without immediate help, and caregivers alone with a resident could face aggression.
  3. Evaluate Risks and Implement Controls: For each hazard, decide how likely and serious the risk is, then put control measures in place to reduce risk “as low as reasonably practicable.” For lone working, suitable controls may include providing personal safety alarms, setting up periodic check-ins, training staff on emergency procedures, ensuring high-risk tasks (like heavy manual handling or managing a highly aggressive resident) are not done by a lone worker, and arranging on-call support. We also set clear limits on what can and cannot be done while working alone – certain high-risk activities are prohibited without a second person present.
  4. Record Findings and Develop Action Plans: The risk assessment findings and the measures to mitigate risk will be documented. For each identified risk, the record will note what control measures are in place (e.g. “Resident X – risk of aggression: staff must use two-person care or carry alarm, see care plan”). This written record ensures accountability and makes the information accessible to all relevant personnel.
  5. Review and Update: The registered manager will review lone working risk assessments at least annually and whenever there is reason to believe circumstances have changed. Any incident involving a lone worker or any significant change (such as new residents with challenging behavior, new equipment, or different building layout) will trigger an earlier review. We are committed to updating our strategies if an assessment is no longer valid or if better controls are identified.

Specific considerations are made for violence and aggression risks. The HSE defines workplace violence as “any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work,” including verbal threats. Within a care home, this could involve a resident or visitor being threatening toward staff. Our risk assessment will flag any residents with known history or triggers for violence. If a particular resident or situation is assessed as too high-risk for a lone worker, the care plan will specify that two staff must be present or alternative arrangements made to protect staff. We also assess the work environment (e.g. isolated laundry rooms, parking lots at night) and worker factors (like whether a staff member has a medical condition that could suddenly incapacitate them – in such cases we adjust work assignments to avoid that person working alone, or ensure additional safeguards).

By diligently assessing these risks, {{org_field_name}} ensures that preventative and protective measures for lone workers are in place and effective before an individual works alone. Risk assessments are living documents – they will be communicated to staff and revisited whenever needed to maintain a safe working environment.

Roles and Responsibilities

Safety in lone working is a shared responsibility. This section outlines the duties of the care provider’s management and staff to implement and uphold this policy.

Registered Provider and Registered Manager

The Registered Manager (and the care home’s provider organization) holds primary responsibility for establishing a safe system of work for lone workers. In the spirit of CQC’s expectations for good governance and safe care, the manager will:

Overall, the Registered Manager must foster an environment where lone workers feel safe, supported, and able to raise concerns. The manager’s leadership in health and safety should ensure that “all reasonable steps” are taken to protect staff who work alone.

Care Staff and All Employees

Every staff member has a personal responsibility to follow safety procedures and to take reasonable care of themselves and others. Employees expected to work alone in the care home (including care assistants, nurses, cleaners, kitchen staff, maintenance personnel, or any other role) must:

By accepting these responsibilities, staff help maintain a safe working environment. Ultimately, no job should be done in a way that compromises personal safety – all employees have the right to refuse unsafe work and to be provided with the means to work safely, even when alone.

Others (Contractors, Agency Staff, etc.)

Any contractors or agency personnel working on the premises (for example, temporary nurses, maintenance contractors after hours, security personnel, delivery drivers on-site at night) are also covered by this policy when they work unaccompanied. Management will brief all external or temporary workers on relevant lone working procedures. These individuals are expected to follow the same precautions as our employees, including signing in/out of the building so we are aware of their presence and location. Contractors must have their own lone working risk assessments as required, but {{org_field_name}} will coordinate to ensure their safety is managed while on our site.

Lone Working Procedures and Safe Practices

This section describes the procedures staff should follow and specific precautions in common lone working scenarios within our care home. By adhering to these practices, we reduce the risks associated with working alone.

1. Working During Night Shifts and Out-of-Hours

Night shifts (and other out-of-hours periods, such as early mornings or weekends with minimal staffing) are a typical time when lone working occurs in care homes. During these times, staff must remain extra vigilant and follow these guidelines:

By rigorously following these procedures, we aim to protect lone workers at night and ensure continuity of safe care for residents. We recognize that nights can be challenging due to reduced personnel, so we commit to giving lone night staff strong managerial support and clear guidelines to make their work as safe as possible.

2. Working in Isolated Areas of the Facility

Lone working can also occur during the day or evening in less visible or isolated parts of the care home. This might include a staff member working alone in the laundry room, a maintenance technician servicing equipment in the attic or boiler room, a carer accompanying a resident to a remote part of the gardens, or even a nurse alone in a separate unit or floor. To ensure safety in these situations, the following procedures apply:

By following these precautions, staff can safely carry out duties even when they are physically apart from others on-site. Communication and awareness are key: everyone in the facility should know when and where colleagues might be working alone so that we can “keep eyes out” for each other’s safety.

3. Working with Residents Who Have Challenging Behaviours

Caring for residents with dementia, mental health conditions, or other complex needs can sometimes expose staff to challenging or aggressive behaviors. When a staff member is alone with such a resident, the situation warrants particular care. Our policy to safeguard both staff and residents includes:

We acknowledge the dedication it takes to care for individuals with challenging behaviors and affirm that no staff member should ever feel alone or helpless in such situations. This policy ensures there are always systems in place – be it another person on call, an alarm, or a procedure – to back up a lone worker when they are supporting some of our most vulnerable (and sometimes unpredictable) residents.

Communication, Supervision, and Emergency Response

Effective communication and oversight are essential to keep lone workers safe. {{org_field_name}} employs multiple methods to ensure lone staff stay connected and are supported, especially in emergencies.

Through robust communication protocols, supervision proportional to risk, and thorough emergency planning, we strive to give lone workers confidence that help is always accessible and that they are never truly “alone” when it matters. CQC inspectors expect providers to “keep in touch” with lone staff and to respond to incidents appropriately, and this policy is designed to meet those expectations fully.

Use of Personal Safety Devices

{{org_field_name}} is committed to leveraging technology and equipment to enhance lone worker safety. We provide and maintain personal safety devices as control measures identified in risk assessments. Key points regarding these devices:

By equipping our staff with these personal safety devices and ensuring they are confident in their use, we significantly reduce the response time in emergencies and help lone workers feel safer. This aligns with HSE guidance that employers should provide means for lone workers to raise the alarm and be confident assistance will arrive. Embracing such technology and tools is part of our commitment to modern, effective safety practices in our care home.

Incident Reporting and Post-Incident Support

Despite all preventative measures, incidents may still occur. When they do, proper reporting and support are critical – both for the well-being of our staff and for learning how to improve safety.

Incident Reporting: All accidents, injuries, near misses, dangerous occurrences, or episodes of aggression that happen while working alone must be reported through {{org_field_name}}’s incident reporting system. This includes even seemingly minor incidents – for example, if a staff member felt threatened by a visitor while alone at reception, or if they slipped but caught themselves without injury. We encourage reporting of near misses because they are valuable warning signs. Staff should report incidents as soon as possible after they occur (once the immediate situation is made safe). The standard procedure is to inform the line manager or on-call manager immediately by phone for urgent issues, and then complete a written incident form or an electronic report before the end of the shift if able. If the lone worker is the one injured and cannot complete the form promptly, a supervisor will document preliminary details on their behalf and the full report can be completed once the individual is able.

We maintain confidentiality and a supportive tone in these reports – the purpose is not to assign blame to the staff member, but to understand what happened and what actions might prevent a recurrence. In line with a “no blame” culture, staff are actively encouraged to report incidents and hazards without fear of reprisal. CQC’s Regulation 17 (Good Governance) expects providers to have systems to record and investigate safety incidents and to act on them, which we rigorously follow.

Management will review each lone working incident report and investigate as needed. Investigations may involve interviewing the staff involved, speaking with witnesses (if any), examining any equipment involved, and reviewing camera footage if available. The goal is to identify root causes and whether additional controls or changes in procedure are required. For example, an investigation might reveal that a personal alarm didn’t reach far enough in the garden area – prompting us to extend the alarm range or adjust the policy that staff shouldn’t go out of range. Or if a resident attacked a lone staff, the investigation might lead to updating that resident’s care plan or increasing staffing at certain times.

Notification and External Reporting: Certain serious incidents will be escalated to external authorities:

Post-Incident Support for Staff: {{org_field_name}} recognizes that being involved in an incident while alone can be frightening and stressful. After any such event, we prioritize the staff member’s well-being:

Our ultimate aim after any incident is to make sure the staff member is okay and to prevent similar events. CQC inspectors will look at how we handle adverse events – under the Safe and Well-led domains, they expect that providers learn from incidents and support their staff. This policy’s approach to incident reporting and follow-up is designed to meet those expectations and, more importantly, to uphold our duty of care to our employees.

Training and Ongoing Support for Staff

Proper training and support are fundamental in enabling staff to work safely and confidently on their own. In line with Regulation 18 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations, we ensure that all staff receive the training, supervision, and professional development necessary for their roles, including the challenges of lone working. Our approach includes:

Investing in comprehensive training and continuous development of our staff not only meets regulatory requirements but also demonstrates our duty of care as an employer. A well-trained, confident worker is far less likely to encounter problems, and far more likely to handle them effectively if they do. CQC inspectors will often interview staff to gauge their understanding of safety protocols – we are confident that through our training efforts, any staff member working alone in our home will be able to clearly articulate the risks and controls in place, and feel supported by their organization.

Relevant Legislation and CQC Standards

This Lone Working and Staff Safety Policy is underpinned by the following legislation, regulations, and guidance, which set the standards for protecting staff in the workplace and ensuring safe care delivery:

By grounding our policy in these laws and standards, {{org_field_name}} not only ensures legal compliance but also aligns with what CQC inspectors expect to see as evidence of a safe and well-led service. We will keep abreast of any changes in legislation or CQC guidance and update this policy accordingly to remain current (as of the date of this policy, all references are up to date with 2024–2025 standards).

Sources: This policy was informed by the Health and Safety Executive’s lone working guidance, expert insights on lone working in residential care, and CQC regulatory requirements, among other best-practice resources.

Responsible Person: {{org_field_registered_manager_first_name}} {{org_field_registered_manager_last_name}}
Reviewed on: {{last_update_date}}
Next Review Date: {{next_review_date}}
Copyright © {{current_year}} – {{org_field_name}}. All rights reserved.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *