Workers who provide care to patients at home are an invaluable part of our healthcare system. Without their efforts, many people would not receive the regular help they need to be as safe and well as possible each day.

But healthcare workers’ safety is important too. And roles like carers, aides and nurses come with extra hazards because they involve working alone in patients’ homes.

That’s why it’s so crucial for home healthcare workers to know how to protect themselves and lower the risks of providing care as a lone worker. Read on to learn what hazards are involved with home healthcare work and what steps workers like nurses and home aides can take to combat those hazards.

What hazards come with providing healthcare in patients’ homes?

In the UK, the government defines ‘lone workers’ as people who ‘work by themselves without close or direct supervision.’ It naturally follows that lone workers face particular dangers simply because they are alone.

These dangers include:

Experiencing a work-related emergency and having no-one nearby to help, such as lifting up heavy equipment that has fallen on the lone worker
Experiencing a medical emergency that’s not work-related, but having no-one around to get assistance or even notice that something is wrong

On top of these concerns, home healthcare workers must manage additional concerns.

HSE’s domiciliary care guidance says: “The most common causes of injury and ill health to carers arise from moving and handling, and dealing with challenging behaviour.”

It’s well known that safely lifting and moving patients can be challenging for a worker who is alone. And inappropriate behavior, including violence and assault, can also be a significant issue. The problem can be heightened when patients have dementia or other conditions where aggression can be a symptom, or if they are in an altered state of mind due to drug or alcohol abuse.

Moreover, the fact that healthcare workers are in an uncontrolled, unknown environment (a patient’s home) can also pose problems. Some patients may have dangerous pets. Others may be experiencing hoarding behaviors. And homes may be unclean, have clutter that presents a tripping hazard, or have pests.

Of course, we can’t forget that if a home healthcare worker drives to patients’ homes, then driving and road risks also apply – even more so if the weather is causing low visibility or slippery conditions.

How can home healthcare workers stay safer while they’re alone?

The good news is that being aware of the risks to healthcare lone workers can help you stay safer. There are plenty of steps that healthcare workers can take to protect themselves. Here are a few key things you can do.

Be aware of your employer’s obligations

Employers have duties to protect their employees under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and potentially the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) as well. Take note that the HSWA doesn’t apply to workers providing “domestic services” in “private households”. However, if a home healthcare worker is privately employed and doing work involving complex medical or care skills, the HSWA might apply.

This means that your employer needs to assess what risks you face at work and involve you when considering these risks. They must also take measures to reduce or control the risks you face. According to the UK government guidance to employers of lone workers, other duties of your employer include providing “instruction, training and supervision,” as well as updating risk assessments when circumstances change.

Ensure you have been properly trained

As experts in personal safety, we at SureSafe believe that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And that’s partly because training and preparation are such core parts of any system for keeping people safe.

So, if you’re a healthcare worker who works alone in patients’ homes, you’ll want to ensure you have been properly trained in what to do in common hazardous scenarios. That could include:

How to safely perform care procedures involving biohazards
How to lift and move patients safely
How to use hoist equipment or other medical equipment safely
How to de-escalate tense situations or manage patients with dementia or other health issues that have affected their behaviour.

Indeed, the government’s guidance points out that “training in personal safety, which may include conflict resolution, can help a worker recognise situations where they may be at risk and to take appropriate steps to avoid or manage the risk.”

Check that equipment has been maintained

Of course, knowing how to use equipment is only half the battle. Your employer will need to ensure that any equipment, particularly hoists or other equipment that bear weight, is properly maintained and appropriate for its usage. If you’re concerned this isn’t being done, it’s better to check and raise a concern than suffer an accident.

Communicate any concerns

If you’re feeling unsafe at work, you should report your experiences to your employer so that they can potentially take action to protect you. After all, lone working can also have mental health impacts, including stress and anxiety. It’s important to protect your mental health too, especially if you’re afraid or worried about your safety.

Know emergency procedures and make sure you have a way to call for help if needed

The UK government guidance for employers of lone workers also says, “Emergency procedures should also include appropriate guidance on how and when lone workers can contact their employer” in case of a crisis. One method of doing this is by using “devices designed to raise the alarm in an emergency” – such as lone worker alarms.

It’s important to remember that in an emergency, a mobile phone may not always be close at hand where it’s needed. In situations where a lone healthcare worker has fallen ill while they’re alone, the steps required to dial a phone may also be too difficult to manage.

That’s where a lone worker alarm comes in. This is a small, simple and easy to use piece of tech that features a single SOS button. To get help, the healthcare worker simply needs to press and hold the button – which is far more doable in a range of crisis scenarios, including when the worker is feeling dizzy or when they don’t have time to take out and dial a phone.

The lone worker alarm is also body worn, which means it’s also within reach. And at SureSafe, our lone worker devices come with automatic fall detection as standard. That means that even if a lone worker faints or slips on ice and knocks themself unconscious, the alarm has the ability to sense the fall and raise an alert all by itself – no need to even press a button.

What’s more, our alarms also include GPS tracking. That’s a feature that can make all the difference when a mobile lone worker calls for help, as it helps ensure they can be located and assisted as quickly as possible.

Stay safer as a lone worker with SureSafe

At SureSafe, we’re experts in personal safety who provide safety solutions for lone workers, elderly people, people who have seizures and more. We know how important it is for workers to have peace of mind when they’re alone – and we know what a big difference a small safety alarm device can make to a lone worker.

So, whatever kind of home healthcare you provide, make sure you take steps to care for yourself as well as for your patients. Get in touch with us about a lone worker device that can let you send out the alarm in the moment when you need it most.

To reach us, you can speak with us by phone 0808 189 1670, via our live chat or by requesting a call back. Whichever method you choose, our expert team is here to talk.