Working away from base, travel and remote tasks

Optical support staff often work away from the main practice. Tasks such as travelling between branches, collecting stock, dropping glasses at a care home, delivering repaired spectacles, visiting another site or walking to a car park after dark can create lone-working risks.

Before leaving base

• Purpose: confirm the task is authorised and suitable for one person.
• Destination: know the address, parking, access route and who you will meet.
• Contact: ensure someone knows where you are going, when you should return and how to reach you.
• Equipment: take only what is needed, keep your phone charged and protect patient information.
• Vehicle or travel: follow local driving-for-work or public transport rules.
• Stop point: know when to withdraw, rearrange or call for help.

Do not enter a private address, unfamiliar premises, isolated car park or other site if the situation feels unsafe or does not match the plan. A delivery or collection can be rearranged; a worker's safety cannot be replaced.

Confidentiality still applies away from base. Prescription details, patient addresses, phone numbers, payment information, referral letters, repair notes and spectacle orders should be carried and discussed securely. Do not leave paperwork, devices or eyewear where they can be lost, stolen or seen unnecessarily.

Driving, insurance and off-site coordination

Working away from base needs a plan: where you are going, how you keep in touch, when you return and when you are allowed to withdraw.