PROFESSIONAL ISOLATION AND LONE WORKING

The role and impact of professional issues on developing practice



The role and impact of professional issues on developing practice

Introduction

Community nurses working as lone workers are confronted with various issues related to their professional development. Two of the most important issues in this regard are lone working and professional isolation. According to the 2002-2003 NHS estimates, its staff reported about 116000 occurrences of violent behaviors ranging from communicatory abuses to life-threatening assaults. While it is unknown as to what percentage of these incidence represented Lone Workers, it is broadly admitted that this group of heath faculty is at the highest risk. (NHS, 2005)

The NHS have developed guidance literature to help protect staff that work alone and do not always have access to immediate support from colleagues or others, when they are faced with difficult or hostile situations. In addition to this, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has also developed lone worker guidance, stressing upon the employers to implement its five-point action plan based on risk assessment, prevention, policy, training and support. Both the professional practice of the individual nurse and the service delivery in total are directly impacted by the presence and severity of these issues. Prior knowledge of the draw backs of lone working enables the nurse to take bettering steps in both personal and professional practice.

Community nurses working in lone settings enjoy increased professional autonomy and freedom these nurses have the opportunity to develop and perform nursing roles that other nurses do not cater. However, professional isolation and lone working can be potentially dangerous due to inherent risks of security, lack of professional guidance and poor management by the employer. Moreover, the professional and personal isolation can potentially result in staff recruitment and retention problems particularly for community nurses.

This paper will explore the many issues related to professional practice of the community nurses working in lone workers' settings. Furthermore, we review the evidenced-based current literature relating to these issues and provide a critical analysis of their impact on the clinical experience of the community nurses (Martin 2003 36-71). Highlighting the current lone worker policies and practices, the paper identify the areas that warrant the need for change and the related change management tools that could equip nurses in improving the professional experience.

Lone Workers Issues

The London Hazards Centre (LHC) defines lone work “as any employment work which is meant to be followed up independently by workers as individuals or in minor teams for lengthy time periods” Page 4 of the National Health Services policy document NHS (2005) covers in this definition the staff “that works on a regular basis or from time to time on their own, in absence of accession to prompt managerial or colleague support” The Primary Care Trust (PCT) stresses on the general duty of employers for care under its second section in the Health and Safety at Work Act. It also emphasises that the staff record a thorough risk appraisal of risks open to ...