Friday, 12th March 2010
As is usual with these things a number of key EDGE Services staff attended this two day conference held in the stunning Business Design Centre, Islington. The conference was opened by Chris Shaw who is the Chief Executive of The Disabled Living Centre. The DLF are celebrating 40 years of existence this year and Chris made some interesting observations of people’s experience of being disabled in 1970 to that of today.
Jonathan Shaw the Minister for Disabled People was the next speaker and he spoke very eloquently on what this labour government had put in place for adults, children and others affected by disability including respite care schemes, transport schemes and funding for short breaks for those who care for the disabled.
Sondra Butterworth who is a Moving and Handling Consultant for the British Institute of Learning Disabilities then took the lead for a small workshop on ‘Handling and Assessment in Challenging Situations’. This was delivered, in part, by a role play scenario with particular emphasis on handling somebody who was suffering from confusion, unable to follow instructions, or who may have been challenging. Interesting tips were given here about body language, spatial awareness and the appropriate use of verbal requests.
An enjoyable workshop was up next that was lead by Janet Brooks Stephenson. This considered movement on the bed including rolling and sitting up from the bed. We all got to roll around on the floor and discuss movement patterns and how we might best persuade our clients to move effectively.
Michael Mandelstam who is an Independent Legal Expert with a particular interest in moving and handling legal cases was the next speaker. Michael took us through some moving and handling legal cases explaining the judgement made and in some cases the reasoning behind these. This was followed by a session discussing the process of achieving an effective discharge of patients from hospital to home and discussed a model of practice used by The Mayday Hospital in Surrey.
Finally, on day one there was a discussion forum hosted by Dr Kit Harling and included Amanda James from the HSE and Dr Angela Grainger the Assistant Director of Nursing Education and Research at Kings College Hospital. The discussion was around how we engage people in safer practice/handling people. This was a lively debate with plenty of input from the 300 or so strong audience!
The first workshop of day two was looking at the natural patterns of body movement, with consideration given to how pieces of equipment, such as profiling beds, slide sheets and others can be utilised to their best advantage to reduce care handling activities and increase client independence.
Workshop two looked at person centred handling tools in challenging situations. This took into consideration practical techniques when using equipment in acute and community settings, and the rights and choices of the client as set out in person centred legislation, i.e.the Human Rights Act (1998), the Mental Capacity Act (2005), the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (2009) and the Personalisation Agenda.
The next workshop looked at the practical application of equipment and handling the younger person from birth to teenage years. Giving considering to many different situations including delivering personal care, using therapy aids, movement to and from the floor and assisted walking using various pieces of equipment. Workshop four looked at the application of sit to stand transfers, from the independent but unstable client to the person needing more intervention, and the use of assistive technology. It also covered a useful assessment for client standing balance. This session included a demonstration of various aids such as standing hoists; riser/recliner chairs and inflatable cushions amongst others.
An interesting plenary session followed regarding personal health budgets. Taking into consideration how it would affect moving and handling training and strategies for the future of training companies. Whilst giving clients greater control of the services they use, it also asked the question whether the budget holders understand the legal and moral duties of looking after the health and safety of the personal assistants that they ‘employ’.
This was a worthwhile conference and very much enjoyed by the EDGE staff who attended.
