Nurses lifting patients

[Squiglet]

here If i recall correctly (which i am certain i am) as a nurse we are specifically taught manual handling and we would not be allowing to physically list a patient in this manner but would need to use the correct equipment, eg a hoist.

[morethanyoubargainfor]

you are right, as are the staff it would appear, but you never get the full truth do you?

I also nurse and it is amazing how many people don't see any wrong in lifting, Staff, patients and thier families all included in that.

[2shoes]

as far as I know nurses are not allowed to lift patients.
when dd was in hospital at the begining of the week(she is 14 and less than 6 stone) the nurse's didn't lift her, we were given a sling for the hoist and a hoist was available(due to dd's personal circs we lifted her) I would never expect a nurse to lift her let alone a 15 stone woman,.

[ouchitreallyhurts]

we were stopped from any lifting in the 90's if I recall? before that we used to be taught the safest way (usually 2 of us doing something glamourously named 'the australian')
now things seem much more considered and some of the carers that pop into help my old mum into bed seem to take it to the extreme - "ooh couldnt' possibly lift her leg up, that's lifting you know'
personally I'd say a 15 stone woman shouldn't be lifted by one or two, even three people if she's 'off her legs' - that's a job for a hoist to protect not only the backs an djoints of the nurses but the patients own health and safety.

[TheCrackFox]

I appreciate that nurses are not allowed to lift but would they have just left that old woman on the floor? What if she had no family?

[BobbingForPeachys]

There is a difference between picking up your own Mum through choice, and doing it daily at risk of your own health

Artcile doesn't say how long she was there or if it was just whilst a hoist was located

[ouchitreallyhurts]

My understanding of the story was that she had the fall at home but the story is about transferring the lady from trolley to bed in A&E. so, I'm guessing here that she was on a trolley and suitable moving and handling equipment was being arranged prior to the transfer to a bed (but the family got fed up waiting and did it themself and then called the press!)

[flowerybeanbag]

Well I was dropped by two midwifes trying to get me from a delivery bed into a wheelchair. I had told them I had no feeling in my legs or arms and would therefore be able to offer no resistance but they insisted on doing it anyway. They dropped me on the floor then refused to pick me up because of concern about 'what the union would say if they did any lifting'.

I lay in a heap on the floor for a few minutes and it took my DH saying he was going to ring his dad to come in to help lift me for them to reluctantly decide that them allowing visitors to lift a patient would be marginally worse than them doing it themselves and getting into trouble with the union.

I'm nowhere near 15 st btw!

One of the many similarly shocking reasons I am going to a different hospital for DS2.

[EccentricaGallumbats]

I'm a nurse.
With a knackered back from too much 'non-lifting'

There is no way i could 'lift' a 15 stone patient anywhere, even with 2 or 3 others helping.

Nurses are given training (occasionaly) and equipment to use.

Wherever she was, in a chair, or on the floor, if she couldn't stand she should have been hoisted into bed.

As with all news articles the whole story isn't being told.

Did the ED have a hoist? (I suspect not - did anyone go and borrow one from eleswhere?)

Did the patient refuse to be hoisted (as many do - what are you supposed to do the?)

Did the family actually request help before going to the press (again, some don't)

And as to the final bit about 3 or 4 nurses could have lifted her as easy as a feather - I think not.

[louii]

She would have been made safe and comfortable on the floor while a hoist was organised.

Article not go into much detail but may have been someone with dementia who was unco-operative, they may have had to leave her to calm down before attempting to hoist her back into bed.

[ouchitreallyhurts]

OMG beanbag - thats a shocker - I bet they wished they'd listened when you said your legs were numb. Another example where case should be judged (assessed) on its unique situation.
In the 'old day's' I actually put my back out quite badly in the Care of the elderly placement during my training so I do appreciate the changes to the system - I do still lift my 8st mum (with hubby) if she takes a tumble rather than leave her on the floor.
Fears of what the union might say affect a professionals ability to make their own assessment IMO

[flowerybeanbag]

Shocker indeed. Oh, and when I didn't offer any resistance one of them said to me 'You'll have to have more strength than that if you are going to be a good mother you know'.

Niiiice.

[ilovemydogandmrobama]

I genuinely don't understand why nurses aren't allowed to life. If it's a policy issue, then why are paramedics allowed to lift?

My cousin is a nurse in the US, and they all wear these belts around their waist that distributes weight.

[Arsed]

I am a carer, i work night in a nursing home and we're not supposed to lift either.

In reality, we have to lift, if we didnt lift people to get the slings under them they'd never be able to go to bed.

The powers that be say that leaving someone sitting on a sling in a chair is undignified and to be honest i agree, it isn't ideal but nor is having to lift someone up to get lifing equipment under them and then lifing them to get it back out again

Where i work they condemned a lot of the slings, we had 4 for 40 people of varying sizes and needs. The management made us all signs saying we agreed not to lift knowing full well we had to.

Its just an arse covering exercise, it makes me really really cross.

[cory]

Of course we don't know how long it took them to find a hoist. My MIL is paralysed from the waist downwards, so has to be lifted onto the toilet. Unfortunately, there are only two hoists for the entire nursing home and one is often broken, so she sometimes has to wait for hours for the loo. But she fully accepts that the nurses can't really lift her.