Manual Handling/People Moving and Handling Refresher Courses

Course: Manual Handling Refresher Course and People Moving and Handling Refresher Course

Customer: Prince of Wales Hospice

Location: Pontefract

Date: June 2023

The employers at Prince of Wales Hospice are mindful of the importance of keeping their staff safe at work.

On a yearly basis Fit4Work carryout over a period of one day a week for a month, refresher courses to non clinical staff which concentrates on Manual Handling Awareness Training and People Moving and Handling Refresher Training Course to clinical staff.

In the morning both courses cover the theory aspect, the topics of which are:

  • Reasons for managing handling risks

  • Up to-date national statistics – where on the body musculoskeletal injury have occurred especially in this area of work.

  • Legislation

  • Anatomy – this is addressed so trainees can appreciate the effects of what incorrect handling technique can have on their body including muscle and joint strain and a disc prolapse. This aspect of the course is delivered in a non conventional way for example using donuts to mimic a disc prolapse (which is eaten afterwards) and using sweets to create the correct alignment of the spine. From experience Fit4Work know that by making learning fun trainees retain the information taught on the course and therefore have a solid learning experience.

  • Efficient movement principles – which includes the participation of the trainees in order to make it more meaningful and memorable rather than just transferring knowledge.

  • Risk Assessment – where the trainer and trainees can share their past experience and therefore create a solid learning experience.

  • Practical – Fit4Work believe in preparing trainees for physical activity.

Tight hamstrings can cause lower back pain and therefore the magical hamstring stretch was taught, the stretch lengthens the hamstring muscle in a matter of minutes.

The manual handling awareness refresher training course was incorporated into the morning session; practising the handling of items which are normally dealt with on a day to day basis.

The people moving and handling refresher course was carried out in the afternoon taking 3 hours to complete.

Activities covered included the correct handling of the mobile and ceiling hoists/slings with a strong emphasis on the legislation for these pieces of equipment (The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulation 1998 and Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998)

How to apply and remove the slide sheet using the log roll method and most importantly its application and removal to someone who is at end stage of life as movement of the patient isn’t advised upon.

Assisted transfers using one or two people to stand up from the chair, stand to sit, moving from bed to chair, chair to bed, walking with one/two people.

Stand aids and banana boards were also discussed, shown and practised.

During the practical training session Fit4Work was mindful of trainees who had existing musculoskeletal issues effecting their lower back or upper and lower limbs and therefore advised that they adopted a different stance or carryout the transfer to the right of left of their patient so as to not irritate their symptoms.

To establish if a learning experience had been achieved, an end of course multiple choice assessment paper for both courses was carried out.  So as not to worry trainees unnecessarily Fit4Work called the assessment paper a quiz and informed the trainees that they would mark their own paper themselves afterwards by discussing each question.