Move And Position Individuals In Accordance With Their Plan Of Care
When i work with a client with different conditions, this effects how i support them to move and change positions. A client with dementia who is confused might not understand what we are saying and when we are supporting her to move, so we have to show the client by our actions and take time to do this. Clients with arthritis have to be supported to move gently as they may be in a lot of pain and positioning or moving may be uncomfortable. An individual that has had a stroke might have one arm or leg stronger than the other, so this needs to be taken into account when weight bearing or moving so as to avoid putting pressure on the weak side and resulting in the client falling.
Legislation that is relevant includes the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations; this iintroduced the requirement for risk assessments, risks when moving and handling clients must be assessed, acted on and reviewed; also all staff must be trained in moving and handling. The Manual handling Operations Regulations for employers states that they must carry out risk assessments for all moves and reduce the risk of injuries from happening and avoid dangerous moving and handling; the employees’ responsibilities include using all equipment as trained to do so, follow all health and safety working practices and putting themselves or other staff at risk, reporting any hazards or risks to their employer.
Agreed ways of working mean that employers must have work place policies and procedures for moving and handling; these must be explained to staff and staff provided with training and supervision. it is also important that all employees, read these procedures and if they do not understand they attend training.
Before moving or positioning a client, i have to take responsibility for the health and safety of the service user, others and myself and while doing this adhere to the organisational policies in place and meet all health and safety obligations. I only move and positions clients where I have had training to do so. I do this by ensuring that I am wearing appropriate clothing and foot wear when I move a client or am supporting them to change position to avoid any risk of being harmed; for example when using a hoist I must not wear open shoes or sandals.
I also make sure that I do a manual risk assessment before performing any move or re-position. I do not use any equipment that I have not been trained to use and I check that there is enough space around me to carry out the move. All equipment needs to be checked that it is working correctly, if a hoist that it is charged, and all equipment must be clean and safe to use. I look out for any obstacles, like loose rugs, clothes and move them to one side. It is important the space around me is clean and comfortable. All moving and handling must not be rushed. is also important, washing of hands before and after and wearing of PPE according to my workplace policy.
I also check with the client their needs and preferences and check this against their plan. I then ask the service user for their agreement before the move and make sure I am using the correct equipment, that the sling and hoist are clean and safe to use and the correct ones for the client; these must then be stored away safely to avoid any accidents or them being used for someone else. Also to take into account is whether the client will keep their arms in the sling or whether they may decide not to or may become anxious when being moved.
