22nd April 2024
Physiotherapists within the Southern Trust are continuing to modernise how they safely train staff to promote service user independence, safety and quality of life.
The Trust’s Moving and Handling team train Trust staff in Moving and Handling, using a range of equipment and techniques to promote good handling methods. The team, which consists of 11 physios and one admin staff, provide core and refresher training to 5,000 staff across the Trust’s acute and community workforce every year.
Rosemary O’Donnell, Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner for Moving and Handling, said that the team are also working towards ‘optimised handling’.
“As part of their daily work our care staff often move and handle service users either on the bed or to chairs or trolleys and they receive regular training in how to do this safely.
“The Moving and Handling Team continue to modernise and explore ways that we can use to work smarter by doing things a little differently. We aim to use equipment to do the hard work allowing our valued carers to stay safe.
“Optimised handling is about learning better, smarter and easier ways of using our equipment and moving our patients, which often means that we now need less staff to do it.
“These methods encourage smooth gentle movements of the individuals with less hands on.
“One-to-one care and one-to-one conversation lets the service user be more involved in their own handling by doing as much for themselves as possible maintaining their dignity. It also allows families to assist with their family member’s care.
“This is not something new, however you will be seeing more of it as we encourage our staff to choose optimised handling.”
Cathy McKeown, Head of Physiotherapy, said;
”Moving and Handling is a key part of the working day for our staff and so it is important that we invest in regular Moving and Handling training to ensure staff stay updated on the latest techniques, empowering them to provide effective care while prioritising safety.
“This approach of ‘Optimised handling’ does not only focus on safety and reducing musculoskeletal injury, however also improves patient outcomes, including person-centredness, early mobilisation, enablement and reablement.”