Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Moving and Handling Advisor will:

1.    Leadership

a.    Develop and implement a shared vision for the clinical moving and handling service. 

b.    Work collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders to provide a comprehensive clinical moving and handling service which meets Health and Safety legislative requirements.

c.     Develop and maintain an inter-professional team approach to the effective care of patients and management equipment.   

d.    Provide professional leadership to the moving and handling trainers, key movers and the inter-professional moving and handling ‘team’.

e.    Provide expert advice to the Head of Health and Safety, Health and Safety Committee and other senior leaders on all matters of clinical moving and handling.

f.      Work collaboratively with other agencies across the health and social care system to achieve common goals, taking accountability for delegated workstreams.

g.    Lead on working groups as required with a variety of colleagues, patients and carers to ensure services and training is co-produced.

h.    Actively contribute to relevant meetings and committees within the Trust, System and more widely as required, providing regular reports and updates as required.   

i.      Recognise the need for service developments and improvements as a result of audit and investigations and advise on the required changes.

j.      Take responsibility for ensuring appropriate action is undertaken where moving and handling practices do not adhere to local and national policies or legislation.

k.     To lead on the development, implementation and review of the Trust’s Manual Handling Policy and related policies to promote safety, on behalf of the Head of Health and Safety.

l.      Assist clinical team leaders to deliver their services safely through effective joint working, training and support with moving and handling procedures and issues.

m.   Facilitate a culture, in line with the Trust Leadership behaviour framework, to ensure the promotion of best practice moving and handling across the organisation.

n.    Take the lead for working with procurement and co-ordinating with the Inter-Professional moving and handling ‘team’ in relation to purchasing new or replacement clinical moving and handling equipment.

2.    Training

a.    Lead on the design of clinical Manual Handling training programmes, based on a recognised validating body standards to ensure best evidence-based practice across the organisation

b.     Ensure programmes are in place which enable clinical colleagues to be educated to the required theoretical and practical level needed to safely carry out their specific role.

c.     Design and plan an annual clinical Moving and Handling training programme in consultation with key stakeholders and in line with NHSE requirements.

d.    Adjust the planned training programme, and/or deliver bespoke training in response to any additional requirements established through evaluations, audit and/or incident reporting.

e.    Facilitate the re-introduction of key movers to clinical areas to support the training and culture of moving and handling at the point of care.

f.      Work with the Digital Learning Lead to ensure accurate records and reporting are in place relating to clinical moving and handling training.  

g.    Actively participate in the Education Quality Review group to ensure clinical moving and handling training is aligned with the NHSE requirements and the target audience is regularly reviewed to ensure best use of resources.   

h.    Monitor the effectiveness of training and resultant changes in working practice, patient and staff incidents, and sickness due to musculo-skeletal injury.  

3.    Patient Care

a.    Provide expert advice to clinical teams in relation to complex, high risk manual handling situations within a variety of settings, providing on site leadership and problem solving.

b.    Provide advice and on-going support and monitoring to all services experiencing increased moving and handling risk.

c.    Ensure the individual and specialist needs of patients are met in their moving and handling care plan taking into consideration any protected characteristics.

d.    Provide advice across clinical areas to colleagues who require input in order to reduce the risk of injury relating to the moving and handling of patients

e.    Work in partnership with the Falls Lead and the Clinical Holding Lead to promote safe dignified care for patients and maintaining a safe environment for colleagues proving patient care.

4.    Risk assessment and quality assurance

a.    Maintain up-to-date knowledge of equipment related to moving and handling of people, assessing its usefulness and advising the organisation on procurement of moving and handling equipment

b.    Complete individual staff Moving & Handling Assessment when required after sickness absence or follow identification of needing workplace adjustments.

c.     Provide leadership advice on the most practicable clinical moving and handling solutions to mitigate risk.

d.    Provide leadership to the organisation in relation best practice clinical moving and handling     risk assessment strategy, including risk assessment and manual handling related documentation

e.    Ensure a clinical manual handling compliance audit programme is in place, providing regular reports to Health and Safety Committee

f.      Provide advice to clinical estate infrastructure projects in relation to ergonomics and equipment.

g.    Make best use of information relating to clinical moving and handling to inform procedures, policies and training.