Lone Working Policy & Procedure

Lone working in home care

Home care workers spend most of their shift alone, in other people's homes and often late in the evening or early in the morning. HSE names the risks that hit lone workers hardest: violence, stress, medical fitness to work alone and isolated locations. A lone working policy sets out how the service reduces those risks and what happens when a worker cannot be reached.

The policy statement in this template is direct. No worker is expected to put themselves at risk to finish a visit, and a worker who leaves an unsafe situation is supported, not blamed. The service then makes sure the person still gets their care.

What the procedure covers

The procedure follows a worker's day:

• Before the first visit: a lone working risk assessment for each home, from pets and parking to lighting and any history of aggression

• Workers who need extra assessment, such as new and expectant mothers, young workers and staff with a health condition

• Before each shift, arriving, during the visit and leaving, including check-in, check-out and a codeword for when a worker cannot speak freely

• What the office does when a worker misses a check-in, step by step up to calling the police

• After an incident: support, a debrief, a review of the risk assessment and the RIDDOR time limits

• Travel and out-of-hours work

Before you issue it

Fill in the gaps the template leaves for you. Add your codeword and your on-call number. Then set how many minutes pass before the office phones a worker who has not checked in, how long it keeps trying, and when a debrief happens.

This lone working policy template is written for domiciliary care. If a worker cannot get in or gets no reply, they follow the Missed Visits Policy & Procedure. Workers log key safe use on the Key Safe / Property Access Log. Your wider duties sit in the Health & Safety Policy.