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Mobile Phone Use in Care Homes Policy

Policy Statement

{{org_field_name}} recognises its responsibility to ensure that all reasonable precautions are taken to provide and maintain working conditions which are safe, healthy and compliant with all statutory requirements and Codes of Practice.

As well as being carried by most people to keep in touch with their family and friends, mobile phones have become an indispensable tool for business. Modern smartphones effectively operate as small tablet computers. In addition to making and receiving phone calls, they can be used to send and receive text messages and emails, compose documents, search the internet, and take photographs and video.

A range of applications are also available which can greatly expand the utility of the smartphone. For example, security applications can help in keeping staff who travel off-site safe, enabling them to log their movements and keeping them in touch with their base. Calendars can help staff organise their diary. In health and social care, applications are available for clinical use and for training.

However, while mobile phones have seen a huge increase in business and domestic use, they have also introduced risks of their own. Risks include:

• ready accessibility to high-quality cameras — which in a safeguarding context in adult social care means they can potentially be used to take and share inappropriate images
• security vulnerabilities, eg viruses
• distraction from work — staff spending time on their phones or on social media rather than working
• the inappropriate or illegal use of phones while driving
• breaching confidentiality and data protection law under the Data Protection Act 2018 and General Data Protection Regulation 2016.

Legal Requirements

{{org_field_name}} recognises its duty to ensure the safety of its staff and service users in line with its registration requirements and responsibilities and to comply with the applicable health and safety laws. This includes ensuring the safety of staff when working off-site and when working alone.

Policies Concerning the Use of Mobile Phones

This care organisation maintains the following policies regarding mobile phone use. It makes a distinction between phones which the organisation might provide for work purposes and the use of personal phones during working hours (which might or might not be used additionally for work purposes).

Note:

It is an organisational (local) decision to allow/not allow a work supplied phone for personal use and to specify the terms and conditions; conversely to allow the use of a personal phone to carry out work-related business and to specify their terms and conditions. The following sections on work phones and personal phone use should be adapted in line with local circumstances.

Work phones

• The organisation will provide mobile phones for business use wherever this is deemed appropriate and approved by {{org_field_name}} manager.
• A mobile phone will be available for security reasons for any staff working off-site, for instance, escorting a service user, driving a care home vehicle, visiting a service user’s home, etc. All staff using such a phone should sign for it and be instructed in its use prior to taking it out. All phones are pre-set with the organisation’s number in case of emergencies.
• Staff issued with mobile phones by the organisation for use in the course of their work must ensure the security of the phone at all times. It is imperative that staff protect their mobile phone passwords at all times. Passwords should never be shared with others.
• Phones can be used for making work calls, for searching for work-related information on the internet, and for sending work-related texts or emails, etc. All use must be appropriate. All internet use must be appropriate and in line with {{org_field_name}}’s Social Media Policy.
• The need for any additional functionality should be discussed with {{org_field_name}} manager.
• As with the use of other telephones in the organisation, personal (non-business) calls may be made in certain circumstances as long as they are appropriate and kept short. The sorts of calls that are permitted are calls to inform family and friends of a change of shift, personal crisis, etc.
• Staff should be aware that phones issued for work purposes will be monitored, included calls made, data use and internet sites visited. Itemised bills will be produced each month and scrutinised by {{org_field_name}} manager.
• It is organisational policy that business calls from landlines to mobile phones be kept to a minimum as calls to mobile phones cost more than four times as much as calls to a landline.
• Under no circumstances should mobile phones be used while driving a care home vehicle or while driving a private vehicle on care home business. Care home vehicles are not fitted with hands-free systems and hand-held mobile phone use while driving is illegal. See Mobile Phones and Driving policy below.
• The loss or theft of a mobile phone must be reported immediately to {{org_field_name}} manager.
• Staff must not misuse mobile phones provided by {{org_field_name}}. Mobile phones are covered by the same acceptable rules of use and IT policies as apply to the use of care home computers and other data devices (laptops/tablets, etc). As with computer systems and networks, mobiles are vulnerable to misuse by users and to malicious cyber-security attacks.
• Viewing inappropriate websites is one form of misuse, as is sending or opening inappropriate emails or images. In no circumstances should staff access websites that are inappropriate (eg those that could be considered pornographic, racist, sexist or otherwise offensive). Evidence of visits to such sites, the downloading of materials from such sites and the use of inappropriate search criteria will be treated as a disciplinary matter.
• Members of staff should not send or circulate emails, texts or photographs which are offensive or could be perceived as offensive. These might constitute cyberbullying, harassment or even a safeguarding issue.
• Use of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter raises both network security, disciplinary and performance concerns. Staff must not use social networking sites using a work phone unless they are doing so in an official capacity, eg updating {{org_field_name}} social media sites.
• Staff should report any suspicious activity on mobile phone networks, such as suspicious emails, spam mail, etc.

Personal phones

Staff are permitted to bring their own mobile phones to work. However, in {{org_field_name}}, the following rules must be followed.

• Personal phones should not be used for making calls, texting, surfing the internet, social networking or playing games during working hours. They should be switched to silent and secured in a staff locker/drawer, etc. Personal phones should not be carried on the person while at work or taken into service users’ rooms/bathrooms, etc.
• Personal phones should only be used for non-work purposes during official break times or in the case of an urgent call needing to be made that cannot wait.
• If an employee needs to make or take a call of a personal nature during working hours they should seek permission from their line manager and do so in a quiet area to avoid disturbing colleagues or residents.
• Staff should never use their personal phones to take pictures of service users. There have been cases of smartphones being used to take and share inappropriate photographs of service users. Where photographs of service users are required to be taken these will be arranged by the home with the permission of the service users concerned. (See also Social Media Policy.)
• Staff must not use social networking sites such as Facebook on their personal phones while at work. When they do use such sites outside of work time they should refrain from discussing work issues or engaging in gossip about work. Such behaviour is unprofessional and can lead to breaches of confidentiality or trust.

{{org_field_name}} manager will monitor personal phone use. Breach of the rules set out above will lead to disciplinary action.

Mobile phones and driving

In line with legislation, drivers of any vehicle must not use a hand-held mobile phone or similar hand-held device while in control of the vehicle. This includes periods when the vehicle is stationary with the engine on. Use of a suitable hands-free device is acceptable in law but a driver may still risk prosecution for failing to have proper control of a vehicle if they use such a device when driving. If there is an incident, the use of any phone or similar device might justify charges of careless or dangerous driving.

For this reason, the organisation’s policy for the use of mobile phones is that neither hand-held nor hands-free models are to be used by the driver while any vehicle is under their control and on care organisation business, and that care organisation business is not to be conducted on a hands-free or hand-held phone by a driver of any vehicle at other times.

It is recommended that all phones be set to voicemail while driving to allow messages to be left if necessary.

Phone safety

Members of staff should be aware of the possible health-risks associated with the excessive use of mobile phones as issued by public health bodies. Such guidance recommends that people should:

• make only short, essential calls on mobile phones
• choose phones with relatively low specific absorption ratings (SAR)
• keep a mobile phone away from the body when it is in standby mode
• only using a mobile phone when the reception is strong.

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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}}

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