Topics include:

• The mechanism of spinal injury, along with the risks of poor handling for pusher and occupant.
• Legal issues, including HSE guidelines on pushing and pulling, and use of the posture belt.
• The methods of assisting clients into/out of a wheelchair, along with important points to remember when pushing and manoeuvring an occupied wheelchair. All delegates will be able to practise these strategies, and also to experience being moved in this way, allowing them to empathise with wheelchair users.

Expected outcomes:

• Delegates will have learnt the risks of poor handling identified, both for themselves and the wheelchair occupant.
• The legal requirements will have been discussed, allowing staff to assess the risks of pushing heavy people, and over hilly and rough ground
• All will have the opportunity of assisting a client into/out of a wheelchair, and pushing each other in a chair.
• Methods of dealing with unpredictable occurrences will have been discussed, and practised.

About the trainer:

Pat Alexander is a Manual Handling Practitioner. She has contributed to several ‘gold standard’ publications in the field of manual handling, presented at national and international conferences and worked as an expert witness for the HSE among other clients.

She has a wide interest in many aspects of manual handling, including problem solving in the community and in paediatric settings. She enjoys teaching and showing new ways of working, that can lead to improvement in health and well-being for both client and staff.

KVA is giving Kingston organisations 50% discount per ticket. Please add the discount code KVA50 at the checkout.

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