Practical Training - Moving & Rescue

[bobparkin]

There seems to be a major issue relating to the PRACTICAL TRAINING of staff in relation to moving/rescuing patients/residents in case of fire. Everyone seems petrified of being sued if someone is injured during training.
It is obviously important that people are not hurt during training, but on the other hand how on earth will staff be prepared for the real thing if they can't practice on real people.
Has anyone got any practical advice/experience/comments.

[Mike Buckley]

Google for rescue dummies a firm called Ruth Lee makes a selection. You can use the dummy for training so the rescuers can bounce it about abit and the dummy will not help as a live casualty will.

[johno67]

You could use members of staff in place of the residents etc. if they were willing to volunteer.

The Fire Service sometimes use actors from organisations such as the Casualties Union for their exercises, try:

http://www.casualtiesunion.org.uk/

[bobparkin]

For information, I have just learned of a moving and handling exhibition that may be of interest. There are people who carry out training exhibiting. http://www.movingandhandlingpeople.co.uk/

[Mike Buckley]

Yes I have used Casualties Union for exercises in the fire service and they are very good.

I suggest that a dummy is probably the best way as it doesn't matter if the dummy gets dropped etc. However at the end of the training session it is probably a good idea to get a member of staff to volunteer as they then get a first hand experience of what it is like to be rescued and it is usually quite funny as well.

As for outside trainers make sure they know it is for emergency evacuation otherwise you may well get an excellent training session on how to move patients gently from bed to chair etc.

[messy]

Bob - looks like a first class exhibition but at £440.63, I won't be going!!

[AFD]

Have I missed the point here, is not the worry about the 'staff' injuring themselves ( manual handling !) and not the casualty ? actor , dummy , or AN other !

[Nearlybaldandgrey]

But surely a responsible employer will have provided manual handling training to all his/her staff?
They then know how to lift and move people without injury.

There are times when staff will have to train with the patients/residents to actually work out specific needs.

Should my dear old mum end up in such a place, I would like to think that, in the event of fire she could be safely moved either to another location within the premises or to fresh air.
If the employer approached me to inform me that this training will take place, then that's fine. I need to know the staff can move her.

The fire safety order requires an effective emergency action plan and suitable numbers of staff to implement it. Staff that are trained appropriately.
I find it pathetic that individuals put money before safety. A minor injury could be the difference between being moved or left.
Imagine in a court room being asked why people were left when it's all gone wrong and saying "we were frightened of getting sued M'lud"

There are training aids out there which are very good .... Ruth Lee dummies being one such device.

[AFD]

I think you will find that the 'vast majority' of healthcare trusts and resi care providers do not carry out physical evcuation drills, they will not lift casualties live or not, off a bed on or onto an evacuation pad or sheet etc. on the floor.  at the most they will drag them but only once.

[Roy Grogan]

This Trust uses rescue stretchers that are kept on or as close to the floor as possible.  Transfer between beds is effected by placing stretcher on one bed and lowering the bed until edge of stretcher is level with second bed mattress.  Using PAT slide ease patient form 1st bed to stretcher.  Blanket and strap them in then using second bed tilt mechanism ease bed to floor.

Pull straps allow for stretcher to be slid when at a staircase straps are used to control sliding descent.

It works!  Procedure has been tried when lift broke down and emergency caeserian patient was moved from their bed on first floor to theatre on ground floor in just on four minutes!  

More info

get in touch

roy.grogan@kgh.nhs.uk

[kevhowitt]

The comments are very interesting on the removal of "Immobile Patients"

The recent fire the the Royal Marsden raises some important points for consideration. Many of the patients were able to walk off the Wards, very few had to be assisted and the fire was on top floors and not a lower level which no doubt assisted the rescue.

After a risk assesment was carried out on a Ward, it became obvious that several Patients would be very difficult to remove to a safe area if the situation called for a vertical evacuation, for example if the lifts were inoperative. I was asked to design equipment that allows for the safe removal of immobile patients either off the Ward and/or down the fire stairs.

The unit sits under the mattress on the bed and will articulate with the bed when in daily use. When opererated, it becomes a rigid stretcher to faciliitate the removal of all immobile patients that can be manually lifted.

We have produced a pre-production model to go into trial in the next week or so and are looking to put on the market as soon as we have concluded our trials.

If this was to be used, when evacuation training is given, there is no issue in on using either dummies or live casuaties!

If any need more info, please get in touch.

Kev.