Safety & security report - East and North Herts NHS Trust

RIDDOR reported Manual Handling IncidentsThere are an average of around 30 manual handling related incidents in the Trust per quarter,with a ratio of roughly 2:1 for patient handling related incidents in relation to non-patient (orinanimate load) handling incidents,For example for Oct – Nov:Patient Handling related incidents = 23 & Non-Patient Handling related = 11 for a total numberof 34 reported incidents.For Jan / Feb 2011, the 5 manual handling related RIDDOR reported incidents – 3 patientrelated (staff injury) and 2 inanimate loads related.Current actions:Department managers are contacted to establish possible causes.Trends in RIDDOR reportable incidents relating to manual handling will generally fall either intoone of two categories ‘overexertion’ incidents or ‘cumulative effect’ incidents.In relation to inanimate load handling these are likely to be individual capability / equipment /environment based. All these aspects are covered on mandatory back awareness / loadhandling training with the opportunity for work area specific training being limited.In relation to patient handling, overexertion is often related to situations such as assistingpatients with unpredictable movements or falling, which can lead to inappropriate interventionsby staff in relation to their own safety.In response to this, emphasis is placed on including discussion of current best practiceguideline and some demonstration on annual patient handling training, though full practicaltraining is not possible due to the risk of injury during training for such an unexpected event.Patient handling needs assessment forms include a section to highlight possible unpredictableor uncooperative behaviour. This is often a key risk factor in patient handling incidents. The lastaudit of Patient Handling Needs Assessment documentation in September 2010 showedPatient cooperation was documented as assessed around 80% of the time.In relation to patient handling, cumulative effect is often related to overall workload and mobilitydependency of patients. Details of poor working postures or exact moving & handlingtechniques used are often difficult to fully establish. Potential shortfalls in sufficient equipmentare addressed with mangers and an improved system for the inventory of departmental moving& handling equipment has been devised which will involve closer working with departmentalHandling Co-coordinators and risk assessors.Although there are no significant issues regarding injury in the use of patient hoistingequipment, at times its use is mentioned by staff in a general context to highlight times whenpatient dependency increases in a department in terms of assistance with mobility,Staff IncidentsAnalysis of staff incidents reported and documented on to the Datix Incident Reporting Systemshow that the highest number of staff incidents can be attributed to:Moving and handling of patientsKnocks and bumpsSlips and TripsIncidents by Sub categoryDamage/loss to property 96Moving & Handling Patient Related 79Knock or bump 75Fall whilst walking 57Assault 55Accidental injury 47