Lone working policy

The trust has a legal duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act to ensure the health, safety and welfare of its staff. In addition, the management of health and safety at work regulations requires the identification and control of health and safety risks. This policy sets out how the trust will comply with these requirements in relation to lone working.

Clinical staff who carry out lone working in a community setting owe a duty of care to their patients which may only be withdrawn in exceptional circumstances. In exceptional cases, this duty of care to the patient has to be balanced against the potential risks to staff associated with visiting the patient in their home setting. It is also recognised that increasingly hybrid working has meant that there are fewer staff in non-clinical areas and an increased likelihood of staff lone working in office environments.

The trust policy is to adopt a proactive and systematic approach to risk management. The trust aims to reduce the risks to personal safety, as far as is reasonably practicable. The trust is committed to the improvement in working lives of staff as reflected in the trust’s core values and this policy sets out how the trusts’ duty of care is met in relation to lone working.

To access the policy, please visit lone working policy (staff access only) (opens in new window) on the intranet.

Page last reviewed: August 30, 2024
Next review due: August 30, 2025