 THE
NEED FOR AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO PATIENT HANDLING
The toll of injuries to nurses, carers and all others who care
for people bears testimony to the inescapable fact that manually lifting
people or supporting the weight of people is dangerous.
The Manual Handling Operations Regulations (1992) as amended have
now been in place for 20 years. In the Health Care Sector the
meaning of the regulations is clear. People are too heavy to be
lifted by
people.
PEOPLE CANNOT SAFELY LIFT PEOPLE
The law and common sense mean that the employer cannot ask staff to lift patients, clients, residents, service users.
All employers must implement a manual handling policy. However, its not that easy. The handling of people is a complex situation with many issues and situations to be met. In many cases the nurse/ carer can consider that she is only assisting a patient when she is suddenly faced by the patient lifting his feet off the floor. Understanding what to do and how to avoid these situations is as important as knowing how to use a hoist.
DFH Ergonomics can show you how to avoid the injuries that ruined
this young nurse's life. If she had been given a safe system of
work she would still be doing what she enjoyed - caring for her
clients. The money will not make her well again.
 INJURIES
TO STAFF
The toll of injuries in the health services which arise from handling
accidents is unacceptably high. Many people are having their active
lives cut short by debilitating back injuries which stop them from
enjoying the normal activities of life.
The costs of injuries are high. The headline costs are those of
court cases and the associated compensation paid to injured staff.
But the hidden costs are just as high. The employer has the cost
of employing temporary staff to fill in whilst people are off sick.
Then there are the costs of recruiting, training and inducting new
staff to replace those who have to stop work. These hidden costs
are often more than the costs of the court cases.
DFH Ergonomics is dedicated to the reduction of injuries amongst
people caring for others both in hospitals and in the community.
INJURIES TO PATIENTS
The client is also effected by bad handling. When the carers are
off sick with back pain the level and quality of care that the individual
receives is reduced. But even more seriously many common lifting
techniques can actually injure the client as well as the carer.
Those manual techniques that don't have the potential to injure
the patient block the patient's natural movement thus actually reducing
mobility.
DFH Ergonomics can show you how to make real improvements in the quality
of your care by introducing safer handling practices.
ASSESSMENT
 A
fundamental part of a safe handling environment is a proper and
effective Risk Assessment process. There are two types of assessment
and they must both be used properly to create a safe system of work.
The GENERIC assessment establishes the basic frame work within which
the staff will handle people. This makes sure that the right range
of equipment is there to meet the normal range of needs. The INDIVIDUAL
assessments of a person's handling needs ensures that the problems
presented by the individual patient are recognised and addressed.
DFH Ergonomics are able to show you and your staff the importance
of assessments and how to do them. We can help you understand and
use the two stage process of identification of risks followed by
separate identification of the best solutions.
|