GPAtlasWhat it covers
Who counts as a lone worker in a GP practice, and what the law asks of the practice and of you. How to plan a home visit so somebody knows where you are, when to walk away, and how a device or a code word brings help. Opening and closing the building, safer clinic rooms, driving and parking, and what happens when a call-in is missed or something goes wrong.
Who it is for
Everyone who works alone at any point: GPs, nurses, HCAs, pharmacists and paramedics on home visits, staff who open or close the building, cleaners, and anyone consulting out of sight of colleagues.
By the end you will be able to
- Say who works alone in a practice, and what the practice and you each must do.
- Plan a home visit so somebody knows where you are and when to act.
- Judge the risk at the door, leave early when it feels wrong, and summon help.
- Use a lone worker device and a code phrase, and know who answers an alarm.
- Open, close and consult in the building alone, and drive and park more safely.
- Report incidents and near misses, and act when a colleague misses a call-in.
Modules
- Working alone, and the law
- On a home visit
- Opening, closing and clinic rooms
- Travel, and when things go wrong
Your practice's own lone working procedure, code phrases and devices apply alongside this course. What to say to calm someone or to leave, room layout, which injuries are reportable and support afterwards are taught in our Conflict Resolution course.
Content mapped to HSE's guidance Protecting lone workers (INDG73, revision 4, 2020), the duties in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, and NHS England's violence prevention and reduction standard (2024). Law named: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, sections 2, 3 and 7, and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 3.
Sources
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, section 2: general duties of employers to their employees
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, section 3: general duties of employers to persons other than their employees
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, section 7: general duties of employees at work
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 3: risk assessment
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 8: procedures for serious and imminent danger
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 10: information for employees
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 12: persons working in host employers' undertakings
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 13: capabilities and training
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 14: employees' duties
- Protecting lone workers: How to manage the risks of working alone, INDG73 (revision 4, March 2020) (Health and Safety Executive)
- Lone working: protect those working alone, and Training, supervision and monitoring (Health and Safety Executive)
- Lone workers: your health and safety (Health and Safety Executive)
- Work-related violence: definition and employer guidance (Health and Safety Executive)
- Investigating accidents and incidents, HSG245: definition of a near miss (Health and Safety Executive)
- Driving and riding safely for work: employers overview, including own vehicles and commuting (Health and Safety Executive)
- Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013, regulation 2: 'accident' includes non-consensual physical violence
- Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013, regulation 3: the responsible person for an injured employee is that employee's employer
- Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013, regulation 4: reportable injuries to people at work, including fractures other than to a finger, thumb or toe
- Employment Rights Act 1996, section 44: health and safety cases, protection from detriment (subsection 1A, workers)
- Employment Rights Act 1996, section 100: health and safety cases, unfair dismissal
- Violence prevention and reduction standard (NHS England and NHS Improvement, December 2020)
- NHS violence prevention and reduction standard: guidance notes (NHS England, 13 June 2022)
- Violence prevention and reduction standard assessment, refreshed standard (NHS England, December 2024)
- Violence prevention and reduction standard, publication page (NHS England, updated 3 December 2024)
- Violence prevention and reduction standard, long read: which organisations should implement it, and using it across primary care (NHS England, December 2024)
- Violence prevention and reduction standard: primary care may use it as a framework (NHS Networks, 6 December 2024)
- Police Requirements for Security Systems (National Police Chiefs' Council, March 2024), Appendix V: police requirements for lone worker services
- What to do if you need urgent police help through the 999 system: the Silent Solution (Independent Office for Police Conduct)
- Using a phone, sat nav or other device when driving: the law (GOV.UK)
- Personal safety at work (Suzy Lamplugh Trust)
- Prioritising personal safety (Royal College of Nursing)
- Lone Working Policy V4.0, December 2024 (Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust): home visits, vehicles, treatment rooms, working alone in buildings
- Lone Worker Policy 170, version 4, February 2025 (Hywel Dda University Health Board): buddy system, code phrases, escalation
- Keep burglars out of your business: if the offender may still be present, ring 999 (Metropolitan Police)
- GP mythbuster 70: Mandatory training considerations in general practice (Care Quality Commission, updated 3 September 2024)
GPAtlas is not accredited, verified or endorsed by Skills for Health or NHS England. Acceptance of this training is at the discretion of your employer, who remains responsible for confirming it meets local requirements. Your employer may require more frequent refreshers than the guidance period; the practice's own policy applies. Some pictures and films in our courses, and the film narration, are made with AI tools. We check every one for accuracy before we publish it.