Lone worker protection extended

Nurses whose organisations are signed up to the NHS Lone Worker Framework Agreement will continue to be covered by the safeguarding system, after the contract with its supplier was extended for another year.

NHS Protect, which leads on staff safeguarding, agreed this week to continue the lone worker protection contract with supplier Reliance High-Tech.

Under the agreement, the firm provides a protection service that helps to identify vulnerable situations and allows staff to signal discreetly for help when faced with intimidating or potentially violent encounters. Staff use a lone worker device or smartphone to raise an alarm, which is dealt with by trained operators at a monitoring centre, who contact local police.

The framework is used by more than 30,000 subscribers in over 450 organisations across England. It also offers guidance on safe working, follows up on prosecutions and is building a national database of lone worker assaults.