… inconsistencies in approach led to variable standards of care and were dependent on the level of experience of the occupational therapist in hoist assessment and provision .”
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These included patient identification , assessment and training , through to follow up processes .
Additionally , documents were developed to assist with consistent documentation of patient assessment and recommendations . This included details of the home environment , manual handling recommendations , supporting carers to be competent in using the hoist ( and associated equipment , such as profiling beds ) and expectations for follow up after hospital discharge .
Implementation
The newly-developed process and documentation was trialled to ensure that it was useful and fit for purpose . Staff were encouraged to provide feedback throughout .
The feedback was positive , with staff confirming a clearer and consistent approach , with clear responsibilities at each stage of the process . In particular , the access visit checklist and hoist competency documents were well received .
Small changes were made to the hoist competency document , with additional prompts regarding the use of profiling beds to aid manual handling and support the lesser experienced clinicians .
New documentation went through the trust ’ s clinical governance procedures , enabling training to be rolled out to occupational therapists across UHBW . Smaller , interactive teaching sessions were completed . Through discussions with the UHBW manual handling team lead , ‘ train the trainer ’ teaching sessions were provided to occupational therapists .
In essence we were assessed as being able to demonstrate hoisting to those involved in hoisting the patient on discharge from hospital . The training is valid for thee years
48 OTnews January 2022