Posted By Smiff 'elf n' safety, innit! From http://www.thisisbournem...ournemouth/mainnews.html A DISTRICT nurse was due to meet bosses at Bournemouth Teaching Primary Care Trust on September 8 to find out if she can carry on covering her rounds by bicycle. Managers told Kathy Archer, who has been cycling between patients for a month, to get off her bike after discovering what she had been doing. The PCT only found out after a colleague whose car had broken down asked if she could follow Mrs Archer's example. The trust's director of clinical services, Anne Swan, told Nursing Standard magazine: "The area is high risk from drug users. "We are concerned that she is wandering around on a bicycle with needles and syringes in a bum bag. "I have to look at the needs of the patients and staff security." Mrs Archer, who lives in Bournemouth, was clocking up 15 miles a day, carrying medical supplies such as dressings and swabs in a rucksack. On days when she had to cover wider areas, she put the bike in the boot of the car and drove part of the way. She argues that she is saving the trust around £1,000 a year in fuel costs, cutting pollution and keeping fit. A spokesperson for the trust said: "We have received a request from one of our district nurses who wishes to do her rounds on a bicycle. "This person works for us in a temporary capacity as one of our bank nursing staff. "We have had an initial discussion with this nurse and there is a meeting planned when a decision on the way forward will be made. "A risk assessment is being carried out to assess the issues that would be faced by any district nurse doing rounds on a bicycle. "Such issues may include the amount of equipment that district nurses need to carry with them, as well as whether they might be working at night or in high risk areas. "The health and safety of our staff is paramount at all times. "We are hopeful that a mutually agreeable decision will be reached." Royal College of Nursing community health adviser Lynn Young said: "It is absolute nonsense to stop her using her bike. "Cycling is no more dangerous than walking around. "Nurses have to get out of their cars to see patients anyway." First published: September 8, 2005

Posted By J Knight Clarkson! Not Clarke, Clarkson! (Distracted by work, in this case still trying to read the Event Safety Guide - it says we need COSHH assessments for soap, which I'm dead sure we don't, but that's another story) John

Posted By Andy Petrie I'm sure drug users have nothing better to do all day than chase round after cyclists with rucksacks on the off chance that they may have a needle. (assuming they are in a state to even stand up) I think in reality they would either go to their local needle exchange or just run the dirty one under the tap.

Posted By jackw. Hi, surprissed at the manager/trusts response. but as has been said we don't have al the facts to judge and performance may be an issue. for example my LA actually pays milage to staff using a bicycle moststaff area based thus don't have to travel across the whole of the LA..but on the other hand as i cover the whole of the LA they would not let me use a bicycle for 40 mile round trips. So i guess the old fav "comon sense" comes into play.. ah if only it was that simple!!! cheers

Posted By steve williamson Howdy, I'd be a bit worried if she was in a hospital, but I suspect if she can do it on a bike her powers that be are afraid their mileage claims may be queried! Cheers, Stevew

Posted By John Webster Its the conkers, of course. If she works in an LA area where they have not yet cut down the conker trees, she will be at risk of being tipped over the handlebars if her front wheel were to strike a fallen conker.

Posted By Arran Linton - Smith I have just finished and Environmental MSc dissertation on urban and commuter cycling and can I add some quick facts regarding the risk of cycling. 1. The more cyclists there are our roads the safer cycling is. For example in the UK we cycle an average of 0.1 kilometres per person per day against 1.7 in Denmark and 3.0 in the Netherlands. In the UK there are 6 Cyclist Killed per 100 million kilometres; however that number is 2.3 in Denmark and 1.6 in the Netherlands. 2. The level of risk in terms of a cycling fatality also needs to be balanced against the potential gain in terms of life years. Analysis by the British Medical Association (BMA) have shown even that even in a hostile cycling environment such as in Britain, the benefits gained from regular cycling in terms of life years gained, outweighed the loss of life in cycling fatalities. (Hillman M 1994 Cycling towards health and safety) has calculated this to be a ratio of 20 years gained to one year lost. 3. Three in every four people in the UK population aren't active enough to protect themselves against illness such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers. A regular cyclist enjoys a level of fitness of someone ten years younger than themselves, and has a life expectancy of two years above the average. 4. Cyclist using a road-side cycle path are nearly 2.5 times likely to be injured than if they were cycling on the carriageway with other road users. Pasenen E, Helsinki City Planning Department (accessed Aug 2005) The Risks of Cycling http://www.bikexprt.com/...rch/pasanen/helsinki.htm

Posted By Arran Linton - Smith Frank, Yes I do cycle and to celebrate completing the dissertation, I am off on my bike to the Himalayas for three weeks. The safety element of my dissertation had to be kept short because it was an environmental management degree. Arran

Posted By DougieGeorge Going back to the junkies chasing the nurse on the bike, I smell a conspiracy here! Some health authority worker has been given some unachievable target for the year to make junkies fitter or run further. He has hit on a brilliant plan by inventing & disseminating the story of the syringe carrying cyclist nurse. This is really a subversive plot to get junkies fitter. Next time I see a junkie chasing a cyclist, I know that this imaginative health campaign has worked!

Posted By steve e ashton Being a lazy s.o.b. most of the time, I've always avoided cycling because of the steep gradients. But in this case... if there are a lot of drug users, presumably there are plenty of pushers as well. So the nurse will have help for the steep bits? Sorry, couldn't resist it... It seems to be early days for anyone here to be ridiculing the Trust/Authority. I'm certain we would all hope our employers would 'risk assess' any proposed change of work practices - and that is what this health (Board/Trust) is doing isn't it? They haven't reached any conclusion yet, so we shouldn't be assuming (as the Journo wants us to) that they will 'ban' cycling. We should be applauding the management for their pro-active stance - how many organisations have only documented some risk assessments after the fact, despite Regs that require assessment before the activity starts? Steve ps I once chased a rabbit round a field on a bike - 16 speed derailleur, chrome moly frame etc etc... I don't know how a bunny could afford such an expensive bike but boy could it pedal.... (Sorry again)