EDGE Summer 2018 newsletterr2

EDGE services
Summer 2018
NEWS
LETTER
Happy 70th
Birthday NHS
The National Health Service is
turning 70 on 5th July 2018. The
first patient to be treated on the new
NHS was a 13-year old called Sylvia
Beckingham who was admitted on
the 5th July 1948 to a hospital in
Manchester as a result of a liver
condition.
The idea of uniting all the country’s
hospitals, clinics and doctors’
surgeries into one large staterun
organisation had germinated
during the Second World War when
the sheer volume of war-injured
personnel reduced the health
service to near-bankruptcy. Then
Britain’s 2,700 hospitals and clinics
were either run by charities or local
councils. But many were failing to
generate enough income to continue
to function.
Training Courses
across the UK:
• People Handling
• Children Handling
• Inanimate Object
Handling
• Understanding and
Managing Behaviour
that Challenges
• Health, Safety
and General Risk
Assessment
In 1945 the new Labour
government came in on a
manifesto that promised a
revolution in health care and
the expectation that we would
be the ‘envy of the world’. The
setting up of the NHS was
to be the role of the Labour health
minister Aneurin Bevan (pictured
greeting an early NHS patient).
Bevan’s stated ambition was to build a
health service on four key principles,
it was to be free at the point of use,
available to everyone who needed it,
paid for out of general taxation and
used responsibly.
Here at EDGE Services we are all
very proud of the NHS and many of
us have working knowledge of the
organisation. We recognise it has
delivered huge medical advances
and improvements to public health,
meaning we can all expect to live
longer lives. It is thanks to the NHS
that we have eradicated diseases
such as polio and diphtheria and
pioneered new treatments like the
world’s first liver, heart and lung
transplant. The NHS continues to
drive innovations in patient care
including mechanical thrombectomy
to improve stroke survival, bionic
limbs to restore mobility, bionic
eyes to restore sight and surgical
breakthroughs such as hand
transplants.
None of this would be possible without
the skill, dedication and compassion
www.edgeservices.co.uk
01904 677853
of NHS staff as well as many
thousands of volunteers that support
them. The NHS is the UKs largest
employer with over 1.5 million staff
working in more than 350 different
roles.
The history of the NHS is one of
evolution of responding to the
changing health needs of the nation.
When the NHS was founded in
1948, the life expectancy for men
was 66, and for women 71. Today
those figures are 78.2 and 81.5.
In 1948 there were 86 deaths per
100,000 total live births. Sixty years
later there are just 6.2. The average
child in 1948 would receive just two
routine vaccinations: smallpox and
diphtheria. By 2008 that list had
grown to seven: diphtheria, tetanus,
polio, whooping cough, influenza,
MMR and meningitis C.
We are so proud of the NHS’s
achievements and would love to
share with you stories from the
EDGE team of their experiences of
working there. We will feature a new
story each week starting on the 5th
July. Please go to
www.edgeservices.co.uk/news to
read these.

2 Summer 2018 Newsletter
Editor’s column
We all of us, sometimes, and take things for
granted, don’t we? We’re only human, after all, and,
as the saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt.
There is one exception to these rules, however: the
NHS.
We start, with this issue, a series of reflections on
life in the NHS by the EDGE training team all of
whom, as you know, are health professionals with
many combined years of experience of working in
the public sector. But, of course, we all have stories
about the NHS. I don’t doubt for one moment that
everyone who reads this newsletter will have a story
to tell: a happy story, hopefully but, by its nature,
not necessarily so. The NHS is there for us all ‘from
cradle to grave’, through good times and bad times.
The NHS runs through Britain like Blackpool through
a stick of rock!
In a recent poll, 54% of Britons gave the NHS as
a reason to be proud of being British. (If you’re
interested, the Royal Family got 28%.)
It is easy to forget how much resistance the Labour
government faced with its plans for universal
healthcare, from both the Tory opposition and health
professionals.
May we never take it for granted. The danger with
taking things for granted, as I am sure you know, is
that you don’t miss them until they’re gone.
Happy birthday, NHS!
And, thank you!
Very best wishes,
Kate Lovett.
Caviar Care Home:
Retirement Complex For
‘Oligarchs’ To Open
In Chelsea
Apartments in the Auriens residence, which is being built
on the site of what was Kensington and Chelsea council’s
only local authority care home, cost a minimum of £3m
for a 900 sq ft one bedroom flat rising to £10.5m for a two
bedroom “penthouse”. In addition to the cost of purchasing
a flat or penthouse, residents will be charged a minimum
annual service charge of £16,344 – which is around double
the state pension.
Emma Dent-Coad, Labour MP for Kensington, said the
council’s decision to sell off the nursing home that stood on
the site, was an act of “social cleansing of the elderly”.
Local councillor Linda Wade said it was the “most appalling
outrage” that the council sold off an “excellent home
available for everyone regardless of funds [to replace it
with] a home that only ageing oligarchs could afford”.
“Just as with Grenfell tower, it is another example of
Kensington and Chelsea council’s crazy management not
recognising or serving the needs of its residents,” said
Wade, a Liberal Democrat councillor. Wade claims that
if Thamesbrook had stayed open some of the older and
most vulnerable Grenfell residents – who are still living in
hotel rooms – could have been looked after in the home.
Wade claims that if Thamesbrook had stayed open some
of the older and most vulnerable Grenfell residents – who
are still living in hotel rooms – could have been looked
after in the home.
For the few who are able to afford it, residents of the 55
Auriens apartments are promised “the most luxurious of
retirements”, with valet parking, pilates classes, a 15m
swimming pool and separate “vitality pool”, and a private
cinema. There is also a reading room designed by David
Linley (the furniture designer and nephew to the Queen)
and gardens created by Chelsea Flower Show winner
Andy Sturgeon. The room interiors, which cost about
£3,000 per sq to buy, are designed by the company that
fitted out Langham’s hotel.
Kensington and Chelsea council, which had reserves of
more than £270m when the Grenfell fire tragedy happened
last summer, said the £70m it made from the sale of
Thamesbrook would be used to build 150 new homes for
older residents.
The council did not answer questions about how many of
the new old people homes had been built or how much of
the windfall from the Thamesbrook sale had been spent
on the project. The council had already committed to build
100 rooms for older people before it sold Thamesbrook in
2014. The council said all Thamesbrook residents were
rehoused, but did not respond to questions about where
they were sent.
EDGE services

Summer 2018 Newsletter 3
What’s it Like to Attend Ten EDGE Refreshers?
EDGE Client – Jeff Grace – Tells All!
As part of EDGE’s on-going celebration our twentieth
birthday, we are delighted to have had the opportunity
to take up a few minutes of Jeff Grace’s time to ask him
about his experiences of working in the care sector and as
an EDGE Services delegate.
If you have not heard Jeff’s name before, I hope he will
forgive me for saying he is a bit of a legend in the EDGE
office. He first attended manual handling training with us
on our first public course in London in 1998; he recently
attended his tenth refresher course, making him, without
doubt, our longest-standing client. Thank you to Jeff!
Can you tell us a bit about your organisation, your
role and the relevance of manual handling?
South Essex Special Needs Housing Association Limited
(SESHNA Ltd) has been managing residential care homes
and nursing homes since 1988. I have been Domiciliary
Care Registered Manager for the last 22 years.
How has your role as a manual handling trainer
changed over the years? How had EDGE enabled you
to fulfil this role?
It has changed phenomenally. The type of care being
provided now, particularly within the domiciliary care
setting, is much more complex. The needs of service
users have changed dramatically. People are being
offered care packages that simply weren’t available 20
years ago. We are now moving and handling people who
have very complex health conditions of which we need to
be mindful.
The induction training that SESHA Ltd had in place 20
years ago was a week; today it’s three weeks.
I attended the very first EDGE public People Handling
and Risk Assessment Key Trainer’s Certificate in London
shortly after taking up the post of Registered Manager for
SESHNA Ltd. Doing so assisted me in implementing good
moving and handling and risk assessment practices within
my workplace straight away.
I deliver two days of moving and handling training on
induction and spend a huge part of the session discussing
practical scenarios which staff may come across in the
delivery of our care services and looking at, and practising
with, equipment.
The moving and handling and risk assessment ‘key
trainer’ training I have received from EDGE every two
years has been essential in developing my skills and
knowledge. The fact that EDGE review and reprint their
course materials every two years gives me confidence
that the materials I receive and then onward deliver to my
staff reflect the current best practice within the industry in
which we work.
We have valued your repeat custom – can you tell us
briefly why you keep coming back to EDGE?
The EDGE moving and handling ‘key trainer’ course
not only covers legislation and practical skills but it
also covers risk assessment. EDGE believes that risk
assessment forms the bedrock of safer moving and
handling and I have found this particular element of the
training invaluable in ensuring that the more senior staff
in SESHNA Ltd have the skills and confidence to put
together comprehensive moving and handling plans for
our service users.
The range of equipment available to use on EDGE
training is excellent. Their trainers’ knowledge, their
experience of working in the care sector and their
problem-solving skills give me absolute confidence in their
expertise.
Each Refresher/Update course I have attended serves
to further enhance my skills as a Key Trainer. There
is no set agenda as such because each of the EDGE
trainers with whom I have trained encourages those
attending to personalise the agenda to suit their individual
learning needs – the opportunity to work through complex
scenarios and trade experiences with others within the
industry has been invaluable. As a direct result of the
training I have received we have, in some cases, been
able to reduce double-handed calls to single-handed calls.
The training I have been able to deliver means that I have
a highly skilled and competent workforce who are more
than capable of meeting the complex needs of our service
users. It is testimony to SESHNA Ltd’s commitment to
delivering quality training throughout our organisation that
we are still working with our local authority 22 years down
the line.
The standard of the EDGE course is excellent – it has not
crossed my mind to go anywhere else.
What do you think the future holds for the Care
Industry?
I believe that service users’ needs are going to continue
to become more complex and that care providers need
to keep investing in training to ensure that they can meet
these needs and remain at the forefront of best practice.
In order for the care industry to move forward, local
authorities need to appropriately fund care services.
This is crucial if they want access to highly skilled and
competent staff and is something which needs to be
addressed by government.
Are you also a long-standing EDGE Delegate? If you
would like to share your story with us, why not get in
touch? Email: kmould@edgeservices.co.uk
www.edgeservices.co.uk
01904 677853

4 Summer 2018 Newsletter
Legal Cases
Care Home Fined After
Death of Resident
A care home has been prosecuted after a 77-year-old
resident slipped down in her specialised wheelchair and
died.
Chesterfield Magistrates heard how, on 21 July 2013, a
resident at a care home managed by a company based
in Bakewell, had been left in her room in her wheelchair
for almost three hours, with no checks taking place, when
she slipped down the wheelchair and died. The care
home’s policy was to not leave residents in wheelchairs in
their rooms at all, but this was not followed. Due to poor
communication at shift changeover, the resident was only
found several hours after she had been left by a family
member, by oncoming nightshift when they carried out
their nightly checks.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive
(HSE) found that the care company failed both to train
staff in the proper use of specialised wheelchairs and to
inform family and friends how to use the chair on trips
out. The investigation also found the company failed
to devise, implement or properly manage structured
and effective systems assuring the whereabouts of
residents were known and failed to ensure there was
clear communication of such essential information at shift
handovers.
The company pleaded guilty to breaching section 3(1) of
the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined
£100,000. The company was also ordered to pay £12,000
in costs.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Steve Shaw
said: “This case highlights the need for companies to
have in place a system to identify where residents are,
and if they need attending to, after being taken out or
moved around the home. This information should then be
clearly communicated between staff at shift changeovers.
Systems such as [this] are easy to implement and would
have helped prevent an incident such as this from
occurring.
“This case also highlights the need for suitable and
sufficient training of all employees on specialised
equipment used by residents and sufficient information
to be passed to family and friends who may use this
equipment when moving residents around the home or
taking them out.”
NHS Foundation Trust Fined After
Deaths of Two Patients
An NHS Foundation Trust has been fined £2m after a
series of management failings led to the deaths of two
vulnerable patients at different facilities owned by the
Trust.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution
follows the deaths of 45-year-old Patient A at a Mental
Health Hospital and the death of 18-year-old Patient B at
a specialist unit in Oxford. Both centres were under the
management of the same NHS Foundation Trust.
Oxford Crown Court heard that both HSE investigations
found a series of management failings leading up to both
deaths including a failure to control risks, and failures in
planning.
The NHS Foundation Trust, pleaded guilty to two
breaches of Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at
Work etc. Act 1974. For the breach relating to Patient
A, the sentence was a £950,000 fine. For the breach
relating to Patient B’s death, the sentence was a fine of
£1,050.000.
HSE’s deputy director of field operations Tim Galloway
said: “These tragic incidents could have wholly been
avoided with better supervision and planning. Instead
two families are left utterly devastated and let down by
those who had a duty of care for their loved ones. The
Trust was responsible for caring for those suffering with
mental health issues and caring for those with learning
difficulties. On these two occasions it failed these two
patients and their families. Our thoughts remain with
these patients’ families as they continue to come to terms
with these avoidable tragedies.”
It became clear during HSE’s investigation that the Trust
failed to act on the findings of assessments that it could
better control the risks associated with the use of phones
with cords. There had been a history of patients across
the Trust, including those at this particular Hospital, using
phone cords as a ligature.
Tim Galloway added: “The known risk of patients across
the Trust using phone cords as ligature was never
sufficiently addressed. This ultimately led to the death of
this vulnerable patient.”
EDGE services

According to a major new study,
vast numbers of people with lower
back pain across the world are being
harmed, not helped, by the surgery,
injections and dangerous opioid
drugs they are being given.
More than 540 million people suffer
low back pain. It is the commonest
cause of disability in the world. But
experts claim that their condition is
often being made worse by costly
high-tech interventions and bed rest
when what they really need to get
better is exercise and the earliest
possible return to both work and their
normal life.
In some countries, treating
unexplained back pain is a lucrative
business for doctors and hospitals,
and three papers in the Lancet
medical journal call on governments
and health leaders to act together
to “tackle entrenched and
counterproductive reimbursement
strategies, vested interests, and
financial and professional incentives
that maintain the status quo”.
Back pain is a huge burden on
individuals, health services and
economies. The study claims that
a total of 31m days of productive
life are lost in the UK because of
disability from low back pain every
year.
One of the authors of the study;
Professor Martin Underwood from
Warwick University’s medical school
states that most people suffer an
episode of low back pain at some
point in middle age. “In the vast
majority of cases we don’t know what
the cause is,” he said. Only 1% are
linked to serious disease such as an
infection or cancer.
“There has to be a cause,” he said.
“There is an injury – using the word
in the medical sense –of some sort
that sets it off.” But it is rare that
doctors can establish what that is.
Psychological, social and economic
factors can all play a part. Many
people have other pain as well
and there are lifestyle links, such as
obesity, smoking and lack of activity.
Most episodes don’t last long, but one
in three people will have a recurrence
within a year.
Experts say that investigating using
MRI scans is counterproductive. MRIs
will pick up physical abnormalities that
may not be the source of the pain.
Scans often result in surgery or other
interventions, but the evidence shows
that fusing the discs in the spine,
inserting artificial discs or giving spinal
injections does not usually help. Nor
does bed rest and staying off work.
In the UK, the NHS has guidance for
doctors on non-specific lower back
pain that promotes physical exercise
and recommends against surgery.
But in the United States, operations
are very common, setting an example
to the rest of the world. “The really
big worry is that we have got a lot of
really high-tech treatments, a lot of
which are not of proven benefit,” said
Underwood. “In the low- and middleincome
countries, the middle classes
are going to start to access and use
them.”
Prof Nadine Foster from Keele
University, one of the study’s authors,
said there was no question of denying
the reality of the problem. “The world
press is drawing attention to the rising
levels of disability associated with
back pain,” she said. The study aims
to highlight better solutions than hightech
interventions.
The NHS is doing better than the
USA: “We are seeing fewer patients
offered fusion surgery,” she said,
“but we are still seeing many
patients offered injections that are
of questionable value. They are very
expensive for the NHS and not very
helpful for patients.”
There is also concern about the
rising number of opioid painkiller
prescriptions in the NHS. “Recent
trials have shown they are not more
effective than other much safer drugs,
yet many patients are still being put
Summer 2018 Newsletter 5
Study Claims Lower Back Pain Is Being
Treated Badly On A Global Scale
on drugs that have opioids in them,”
Foster said. People should be given
“the safest possible drugs for the
shortest possible time at the lowest
possible dose”.
The Lancet authors believe that
prescriptions for back pain in the USA
have fuelled the opioid crisis there.
“The epidemic of addiction and rising
mortality resulting from increased
opioid prescribing in the USA over
the past 20 years is a dramatic
example of the disastrous effects
of damaging medical intervention.”
They say that public needs to be
protected from “unproven or harmful
approaches.” Some countries are
taking what is being seen by experts
as positive action: Australia and the
Netherlands are looking at ceasing to
pay for some invasive treatments.
Experts are calling for health
professionals and patients to adopt
what they call a “positive health”
approach, defined as “the ability
to adapt and to self-manage, in
the face of social, physical, and
emotional challenges”. This involves
changing beliefs about back pain,
so that doctors can help patients to
live “meaningful, high-quality lives”
encouraging people to become less
likely to expect a diagnosis or a cure.
Prof Helen Stokes-Lampard, chair
of the Royal College of GPs, said:
“It’s clear from this study that much
more needs to be done worldwide, to
dispel myths around the best ways to
treat back pain – rest, for example,
is one of the worst approaches, yet
this advice is commonplace in many
countries.
“This is a really interesting and
important study that should give
healthcare professionals across
the world a lot of food for thought,
but also poses helpful challenge to
those producing clinical guidelines
– and it’s important that the findings
are taken seriously and into
consideration as guidelines are
developed and updated.”
www.edgeservices.co.uk
01904 677853

6 Summer 2018 Newsletter
People Handling and
Risk Assessment
Key Trainer’s Certificate
Discounts often apply.
Go to
www.edgeservices.co.uk
for details.
Our flagship course has established
EDGE as one of the leading providers of
training to the healthcare and social care
sectors.
Course Overview
This course will provide delegates with
the knowledge, skills and
confidence to train others in the
moving and handling of people and in
the conducting of manual handling risk
assessments.
Who Will Benefit?
This course is for delegates with a
responsibility for health & safety and
welfare of carers and clients with
regards to the moving and handling of
people.
Assessment and Certification
Course assessment comprises:
• a one hour ’open-book’ test to
determine delegates’ theoretical
understanding of the course content;
• delivery of a group mini-training
session in order to assess teaching
skills, organisation, and delivery of
appropriate course content;
• a practical skills assessment, which
takes place continuously throughout
the course.
Course Aims and Intended Learning
Outcomes
By the end of the course delegates shall:
• demonstrate a sound knowledge of
legislation and professional guidance
which affects them, their job, their
employers and employees;
• briefly understand the workings of the
spine and how to reduce the risks of
spinal injury;
• demonstrate an appreciation of the
principles of biomechanics;
• demonstrate an appreciation of
ergonomics;
• demonstrate a sound knowledge of
risk assessment;
• demonstrate a sound knowledge of
‘controversial techniques’;
• demonstrate a sound knowledge of
up-to-date practical skills in moving
handling clients in a care setting;
• demonstrate the skills and confidence
to convey manual handling knowledge
and skills to others.
Upon successful completion of the
course, you will receive a certificate
of achievement from EDGE Services
which is valid for two years, endorsed
by the College of Occupational
Therapists and certified by the CPD
Certification Service. You will also
receive a Level 4 certificate from RoSPA
Qualifications.
Public Training Courses
Forthcoming Dates:
See below for full list
Course Duration: Four Days
For your convenience if you have
small numbers of delegates.
In-House Training Courses
Available in-house across the UK.
Course Duration: Four Days
We can tailor-make this course to suit
your requirements.
Our prices are designed to meet your
needs please call us on 01904 677853
to discuss your requirements.
Forthcoming Public Training Dates Include:
12 - 15 June 2018, Brighton
19 - 22 June 2018, Birmingham
26 - 29 June 2018, London
17 - 20 July 2018, York
31 July - 3 August 2018, Glasgow
7 - 10 August 2018, London
28 - 31 August 2018, Birmingham
4 - 7 September 2018, Manchester
11 - 14 September 2018, Exeter
18 - 21 September 2018, Peterborough
25 - 28 Sept 2018, Oxfordshire (Banbury)
25 - 28 September 2018, Edinburgh
EDGE services
9 - 12 October 2018, York
16 - 19 October 2018, Cardiff
23 - 26 October 2018, London
6 - 9 November 2018, Glasgow
27 - 30 November 2018, Birmingham
4 - 7 December 2018, London
11 - 14 December 2018, Brighton
18 - 21 December 2018, Manchester
Course Materials Comprise of:
• A 234 page professionally bound,
full colour course text book.
• A delegate CD ROM containing all
notes, handouts, delegate quizzes
etc that you would need to deliver
your own training courses as well as
an hour long DVD of practical skills
taught.
• A 27 page full colour ‘Ideas’ book
with training tips.
• Access to an exclusive on-line
Resource Library full of useful
information sheets, skills sheets and
training tools.
• Access to an exclusive e-learning
programme designed to cover the
theory content of people handling
training for ‘front-line’ staff.
All the above and more are included in the
course price.

Summer 2018 Newsletter 7
People Handling and
Risk Assessment Key Trainer’s Certificate
(Refresher/Update)
Public Training Courses
Forthcoming Dates:
See below for full list
Course Duration: Two Days
For your convenience if you have
small numbers of delegates.
In-House Training Courses
Available in-house across the UK.
Course Duration: Two Days
We can tailor-make this course to suit
your requirements.
Our prices are designed to meet your
needs please call us on 01904 677853
to discuss your requirements.
Our flagship course has established
EDGE as one of the leading providers of
training to the healthcare and social care
sectors.
Course Overview
In order that trainers keep abreast of new
legislation and developments in manual
handling, EDGE Services recommend
a ‘Refresher’ course at least every two
years. This course will further advance
delegates’ professional development
and manual handling skills, and provide
the opportunity to trade experience with
others.
Who Will Benefit?
This course is designed for those who
have previously attended the EDGE
Services ‘People Handling & Risk
Assessment Key Trainer’s Certificate’ or
simliar course. Delegates not previously
trained by EDGE Services will be
required to provide proof of their original
qualification.
Assessment and Certification
Course assessment comprises:
• a practical skills assessment, which
takes place continuously throughout
the course;
• informal Q&A throughout the duration
of the course.
Course Aims and Intended Learning
Outcomes
By the end of the course delegates shall:
• have been reminded of, and made
aware of any relevant changes to,
legislation and professional guidance
which affects them, their job, their
employers and employees;
• have been reminded of the principles
of biomechanics and how they can be
applied to the efficient movement of
clients;
• have been reminded of ergonomics as
a means for the reduction of manual
handling injury;
• have been reminded of the importance
of risk assessment;
• have been reminded of the commonly
known ‘controversial techniques’ and
why some manouevres have been
classified as such;
• have had the opportunity to practise
up-to-date manual handling techniques
and to review new handling aids;
• have had the opportunity to assess
practical moves using current
assessment tools.
Upon successful completion of the
course, delegates will receive a
certificate of achievement from EDGE
Services, which is valid for two years.
Course Materials Comprise of:
• A 234 page professionally bound,
full colour course text book.
• A delegate CD ROM containing all
notes, handouts, delegate quizzes
etc that you would need to deliver
your own training courses as well as
an hour long DVD of practical skills
taught.
• Access to an exclusive on-line
Resource Library full of useful
information sheets, skills sheets and
training tools.
• Access to an exclusive e-learning
programme designed to cover the
theory content of people handling
training for ‘front-line’ staff.
All the above and more are included in the
course price.
Forthcoming Public Training Dates Include:
19 & 20 June 2018, Oxfordshire (Banbury)
21 & 22 June 2018, London
26 & 27 June 2018, Manchester
3 & 4 July 2018, York
5 & 6 July 2018, Glasgow
19 & 20 July 2018, Birmingham
24 & 25 July 2018, Brighton
26 & 27 July 2018, London
30 & 31 August 2018, Manchester
4 & 5 September 2018, Glasgow
4 & 5 Sept 2018, Oxfordshire (Banbury)
6 & 7 September 2018, London
11 & 12 September 2018, Peterborough
2 & 3 October 2018, York
4 & 5 October 2018, Edinburgh
9 & 10 October 2018, Exeter
11 & 12 October 2018, Cardiff
16 & 17 October 2018, London
1 & 2 November 2018, Glasgow
1 & 2 November 2018, Birmingham
13 & 14 November 2018, Manchester
20 & 21 November 2018, London
22 & 23 November 2018, York
4 & 5 December 2018, Brighton
6 & 7 December 2018, Glasgow
18 & 19 December 2018, Manchester
20 & 21 December 2018, London
www.edgeservices.co.uk
01904 677853

8 Summer 2018 Newsletter
Children Handling and Risk
Assessment
Children Handling and Risk
Assessment (Refresher/Update)
KEY TRAINER’S
CERTIFICATE
Public Training Courses
Course Duration: Four Days
KEY TRAINER’S
CERTIFICATE
Public Training Courses
Course Duration: Two Days
This four day course
will provide you with the
knowledge, skills and
confidence to train others
in the moving and handling
of children/young adults
and how to conduct manual
handling risk assessments.
16 - 19 October 2018, Birmingham
For your convenience if you have small
numbers of delegates.
In-House Training Courses
Available in-house across the UK.
Course Duration: Four Days
This two day Refresher/
Update course will further
advance your professional
development and manual
handling skills, and provide
you with a valuable opportunity
to trade experience with
others.
8 - 9 November 2018 Birmingham
For your convenience if you have small
numbers of delegates.
In-House Training Courses
Available in-house across the UK.
Course Duration: Four Days
We can tailor-make this course to suit
your requirements.
Our prices are designed to meet your
needs please call us on 01904 677853
to discuss your requirements.
We can tailor-make this course to suit
your requirements.
Our prices are designed to meet your
needs please call us on 01904 677853
to discuss your requirements.
Course Accreditations:
Course Accreditations:
For more details please
visit our website www.
edgeservices.co.uk/courses
For more details please
visit our website www.
edgeservices.co.uk/courses
Understanding and Managing
Behaviour that Challenges
KEY TRAINER’S
CERTIFICATE
This four day course
will provide you with the
knowledge, skills and
confidence to train others in
de-escalation and breakaway
techniques, which can be
adopted to deal with individuals
exhibiting challenging
behaviour.
Public Training Courses
Course Duration: Four Days
10 - 13 July 2018, Birmingham
13 - 16 November 2018, Glasgow
For your convenience if you have
small numbers of delegates.
In-House Training Courses
Available in-house across the UK.
Course Duration: Four Days
We can tailor-make this course to suit
your requirements.
Our prices are designed to meet your
needs please call us on 01904 677853
to discuss your requirements.
Understanding and Managing
Behaviour that Challenges (Refresher/
Update)
KEY TRAINER’S
CERTIFICATE
This one day Refresher/Update
course will further advance
your professional development,
de-escalation and breakaway
skills and provide you with a
valuable opportunity to trade
experiences with others.
Public Training Courses
Course Duration: One Day
9 July 2018, Birmingham
12 November 2018, Glasgow
For your convenience if you have
small numbers of delegates.
In-House Training Courses
Available in-house across the UK.
Course Duration: One Day
We can tailor-make this course to suit
your requirements.
Our prices are designed to meet your
needs please call us on 01904 677853
to discuss your requirements.
Course Accreditations:
Course Accreditations:
For more details please
visit our website www.
edgeservices.co.uk/courses
For more details please
visit our website www.
edgeservices.co.uk/courses
EDGE services

Summer 2018 Newsletter 9
Key Risk Assessment Skills
Moving and handling trainers often have the dual
responsibility of completing risk assessments in their work
place but how many of us really feel confident with risk
assessment and what are those all-important skills a risk
assessor should have?
We should consider a risk assessment as a positive
resource and understand that there can be some benefit
of taking a low level risk. The assessment should enable
choice as safely and reasonably as possible. The
risk assessor should have good analytical skills to be
able to examine the risk and determine if the effect of
taking the risk balances with the safety, preference and
overall benefit the client, as well as the staff involved in
supporting the client, will gain. In short, it’s important to be
risk aware, but not risk averse and to attempt to seek a
balance between the two.
It’s vital that the moving and handling risk assessor has
a thorough knowledge of the situation and has a good
understanding of the client and how they present. The
client’s ability can fluctuate: they might have a condition
that is likely to deteriorate or the assessor might find
themselves in a situation in a situation where they meet
with a great deal of resistance to change. It’s key that
an open mind is kept and a flexible approach is taken.
If equipment is involved, then the assessor should
also have good understanding of the mechanics of the
equipment and know what it is designed to do. If they lack
Calling for papers!
Are you looking for the perfect risk assessment
document? Does it even exist?
EDGE Services is going to strive to create it but we
need our delegates help. We are asking for any risk
assessment forms you are currently using to be sent
to us. The documents will be anonymised but if you
wish to remove any information that would identify the
organisation before you send it in, that would be fine.
If you could also jot down a few notes on what you like
about the form but also what doesn’t work for you, that
would be very useful.
If the forms could be sent in by July 9, 2018 it would be
much appreciated.
You can either post the forms to:
EDGE Services, Walmgate, Unit 4, Enterprise Complex,
York, YO1 9TT. For the attention of Sharon Zens.
Or email them to:
enquiries@edgeservices.co.uk
the knowledge, then they should ask for more information
or advice. It’s important that assessors recognise their
own limits. Often, assessors feel pressure to know all the
answers. It’s useful to have good problem-solving skills
and to be able to make decisions. However, assessors
shouldn’t place unrealistic expectations on themselves
to be able to always come up with the perfect solution.
There may not be one. Undertaking risk assessments,
especially with complex situations, will likely require
advice and support from another colleague who has more
expertise in that area.
We must remember that risk assessment is an ongoing
process. It’s important to keep up to date with regulations
as well as what is considered best practice. If you are
unsure of these, seek advice or further training. It is
likely that your organisation will have set policies and
procedures. It’s important to keep up to date with any
internal changes to ensure that you comply with the
company strategy.
What is also important to remember is the crucial role
effective risk assessment documentation plays in meeting
legal requirements. The regulations state a “suitable and
sufficient” risk assessment must be completed. Further
to this, the assessment should be clear and concise
balanced with ensuring enough information is provided.
The assessor should not include jargon or abbreviations
that could lead to confusion.
EDGE Services is aware the process and responsibility of
completing risk assessments can be a daunting task. Our
courses provide an opportunity to build upon your existing
skills as well as to improve your confidence in developing
a risk assessment strategy. The course will help to ensure
you are up to date with current legislation as well as best
practise when it comes to the risk assessment.
Thank you!
www.edgeservices.co.uk
01904 677853

10 Summer 2018 Newsletter
CONFERENCE
The ‘Go Home Healthy Initiative’ - H.S.E Work-Related
Musculoskeletal Disorders Summit
March 2018
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the
most commonly reported cause of occupational ill health
in Great Britain. MSD’s include disorders of the back,
upper limbs and, less commonly, the lower limbs.
MSDs account for 41% of all ill-health cases and 34% of
all working days lost are due to ill health. From 2015/16
on average 16 working days were lost per case. The
health and social care sector has significantly higher than
average rates where 25% of reportable accidents involve
lifting and handling.
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) are looking
to prioritising interventions, inspection activity and
enforcement in those sectors where MSDs pose greatest
risks. They want to see significant improvements in
preventing and controlling exposure. They want to see a
move towards risk elimination or reduction through use of
design, research and also in development of new ways
of thinking about risk. They want to support an approach
that includes flexible ways of working by learning about
what works and sharing good practice across industries.
The HSE have launched a new initiative called ‘Go
Home Healthy’ by promoting the protection of health care
workers. Their approach is to help employers manage
sickness absence by actively encouraging investment in:
• putting the right measures in place with input from
staff;
• monitoring controls for effectiveness;
• preventing clients falling in the first place;
• providing enough of the right equipment, ensuring
it is examined/maintained;
• influencing design to help reduce problems;
• providing training on equipment and moving
people and checking training is effective in ‘real
life’;
• give regular updates/toolbox talks on workplace
incidents and prevention for the future;
• provision of fast track occupational health
treatment.
A reminder of available HSE tools:
RAPP Tool – risk assessment of pushing and pulling
MAC Tool – manual handing assessment chart
ART Tool – assessment of repetitive tasks of upper
limbs
Further information can be found on:
www.hse.gov.uk/healthservices/moving-handling.htm
www.hse.gov.uk/gohomehealthy/msd.htm
@Go-Home-Healthy #Work.Right
Naidex April 2018
The Naidex exhibition was held over two days and
included interesting and informative sessions on topics
relating to manual handling.
This year saw a second appearance from the Moving
and Handling Skills Lab which provided attendees with
two days of focused and interactive demonstrations.
Philippa Bromley gave an interesting and entertaining
session on risk assessment answering the frequently
asked questions raised such as: Why do it? When is it
necessary to do one? Who is seen as competent ? and
how do you do an effective manual handling risk assessment.
The point was stressed that a risk assessment can
only be a snapshot in time but that that snapshot needs
to be occurring the majority of the time. It was concluded
that sometimes compromises need to be made and
that it is always necessary to justify and rationalise any
recommendations made and that recommendations are
just that and not instructions. It is also important to understand
that families can do as they please in their own
homes but only if their actions do not affect the safety of
others.
There was a most fascinating session given by Koen
De Doncker who introduced the audience to new ideas
on practical techniques. These used normal patterns of
movement and required minimal effort from the care giver
even with a totally dependent client, and reducedfriction
to the client thereby minimising the risk of developing
pressure ulcers. We eagerly await the book he is in the
process of completing which will show and describe the
techniques he demonstrated so successfully during his
short session.
Forthcoming Conferences/Events
11 – 13 June 2018
Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) -
Belfast
www.rcotannualconference.org.uk
13 - 14 June 2018
NHS Confederation Annual Conference and
Exhibition - Manchester
http://www.nhsconfed.org/confed18
5 July 2018
Kidz to Adultz Wales & West
http://www.kidzexhibitions.co.uk/kidz-wales/
17 – 18 October 2018
The Care Show – NEC Birmingham
https://www.careshow.co.uk/
14 November 2018
Care England 2018 Conference & Exhibition
http://www.careengland.org.uk/care-england-2018-
conference-exhibition-0
21 – 22 November 2018
Occupational Therapy Show – NEC Birmingham
http://www.theotshow.com
EDGE services

Summer 2018 Newsletter 11
Need to know
The General Data Protection Regulations – May 2018
Introduction
Personal data has become one
of the most critical assets for
all businesses today. Whether
it relates to employees, clients/
service users/patients, targets
for new business etc., personal
data is found in all departments
of all companies. However,
the proliferation of data also
challenges the rights of individuals
to their privacy. Therefore, these
individuals have to be given some
control and information over
the use of their personal data
particularly in light of the numerous
instances recently of personal data
being ‘hacked’.
The General Data Protection
Regulation
The General Data Protection
Regulation (GDPR) replaces
the previous EU Data Protection
Directive 1995 and will have
come into full force by the 25th
May 2018. All businesses and
organisations that process
personal data of individuals within
the European Union (EU) need to
have been GDPR compliant by this
date. The aim of the GDPR is to
empower all EU citizens regarding
their privacy and to protect them
from personal data breaches in the
increasingly data-driven.
What constitutes personal data?
Personal data means any
information relating to an identified
or identifiable individual (‘data
subject’). A data subject is
someone who can be identified,
directly or indirectly, in particular
by reference to an identifier such
as a name, an identification
number, location information, an
online identifier or to one or more
factors specific to the physical,
physiological, genetic, mental,
economic, cultural or social identity of
that person.
How do you comply with GDPR?
The regulations span to over 200
pages, but some of the key areas
that are relevant to the care sector
include the following:
Data Breach Notification – a breach
of personal data should be notified
to a supervisory authority within 48
hours.
Right to Data Portability - this is
to enable an individual to acquire
their personal information from an
organisation in a readable format.
Right to be Forgotten – this is to
enable an individual to request the
deletion or removal of personal data
if there is no compelling reason for its
continued use.
Accountability - organisations
will need to be able to prove that
they have complied with GDPR
to regulators, to individuals and
potentially to shareholders. Many
larger organisations will need to
appoint a Data Protection Officer
(DPO) to advise and monitor ongoing
compliance to GDPR.
How can you review compliance
to the Regulation?
To review compliance,
organisations must address the
following:
• Review personal data
processed by the organisation and
any supplier that processes data
on their behalf – if in doubt assume
data is personal as the GDPR
definitions are extremely wide.
• Consider securely wiping
all personal data or anonymising
it where it needs to be collected
and/or stored by the organisation.
Pseudonymous data is the
next best approach if personal
identification is required, this
will reduce the harm caused to
individuals in the event of a data
breach.
• Review ‘Consent’ processing,
this will need separating from
all other T&Cs an organisation
may have in place and will not be
valid unless freely given, specific,
informed and unambiguous. The
DPO will need to ensure the extra
rights around data portability,
right to be forgotten and right to
withdraw consent for individuals
are also addressed here.
Data breach notification –
implement a structure to enable
prompt, compliant notification
to individuals and ‘Supervisory
Authorities’ as appropriate.
Storing data on individuals may in
the past have seemed harmless
but with the new Regulations
companies risk exposing
themselves to heightened security
concerns as well as a possible fine
if they fail to comply.
www.edgeservices.co.uk
01904 677853

EDGE services
Exceptional Value
Added Service
Now Launched Our E-learning and
Resources Library
We are delighted to announce the launch of our E-learning module and
our Resources Library. These FREE services are available to anyone who
holds a current People or Children Key Trainer Certificate with us and are
valid for the duration of your certificate.
The E-Learning is designed for front-line care and education staff
to undertake themselves and covers the theory component of people/
children handling training.
• As a Key Trainer, the theory content of your courses can be delivered
in this way leaving you to focus on practical skills only.
• This will save you time and your organisation money and resources.
• The course should take staff about 60 minutes to complete and
as the Key Trainer you will receive your colleagues’ results via the
system and be able to give them feedback.
The Resources Library is designed for yourselves as Key Trainers.
• Access a wide range of information to enhance your own learning
and development.
• Access to a range of products that you can use for your own training
courses to make them more engaging for your delegates.
These new services can be accessed via www.edgeservices.co.uk
by clicking on the Resources tab at the top right of the home page. You
will need to enter your surname (this is as your surname appears on
your EDGE Certificate and is case sensitive) and your EDGE Delegate ID
number. This five digit number is found on the bottom left of your EDGE
certificate. If you have mislaid your certificate or the ID number appears
to be missing, please email to whatsmyedgeid@outlook.com
giving your full name, your organisation and the dates of your most
recent EDGE training. You should receive a response within 48 hours.
We are hopeful that you will find these resources useful in your future
training but please give us feedback at info@edgeservices.co.uk.
We would be delighted to hear from you.
Follow us on:
/EdgeServices
@EDGEhandling
EDGE services
01904 677853
enquiries@edgeservices.co.uk
edgeservices.co.uk