Moving and Handling Advisor

Job summary

We are looking to recruit a highly motivated and experienced individual to join our Health and Safety team as Moving and Handling Advisor.

This post presents an excellent opportunity to work across the organisation, assist in the implementation of a health and safety strategy, responsible for the delivery of moving & handling services and ensure compliance with health and safety legislation within the Trust.

This role is an opportunity for a dynamic individual with excellent leadership skills who is energetic and driven. It will appeal to a candidate who thrives in an environment focused on actively managing risk and providing specialist moving and handling advice to managers at all levels on matters of health and safety.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be responsible for the improvement of moving and handling compliance across the Trust by acting as a source of expert advice, support and guidance on reducing moving and handling risks to staff and service users and will ensure a consistent, coordinated and optimised approach to safe moving and handling within the Trust.

The post holder will be required to lead and develop the Trusts Moving & Handling policy to ensure that effective, safe, and modern techniques are practiced across all services provided by Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust.

Working with the Health and Safety Manager, the post holder will provide leadership to the development and implementation of effective risk management strategies and health and safety policies across the Trust. With significant responsibility for developing and embedding a risk-based culture, the post holder will engage effectively with clinical and non-clinical colleagues, senior managers and key stakeholders to ensure effective health and safety management systems and processes are in place and are utilised to identify, manage and mitigate all levels of risk.

The post holder should have recognised qualifications in Moving & Handling and have experiencein training or education. The post holder will work closely with the Health & Safety Manager andcolleagues in the wider Health & Safety Team to ensure that staff are adequately trained andsupported.

About us

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development Widening access (anchor institution) and employability Improving the experience of staff with disability Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development Making equalities mainstream Job description

Job responsibilities

The post holder will be responsible for the improvement of moving and handling compliance across the Trust by acting as a source of expert advice, support and guidance on reducing moving and handling risks to staff and service users and will ensure a consistent, coordinated and optimised approach to safe moving and handling within the Trust by:

Planning and delivery of the Trusts mandatory moving and handling training programme designed to meet the needs of the overall system, the individual cohort, and the service users.

Lead on and drive a preventative approach to reduce musculoskeletal injuries, by ensuring the provision and delivery of moving & handling training to all staff groups, providing ergonomic, moving & handling risk assessments to staff. In their undertaking of the assessment of complex moving and handling risks and the development safe systems of work.

On risk reduction measures for individuals with reduced capabilities as identified by Occupational Health Service or other medical professionals.

Completing audits and monitoring of moving and handling activities in line with Trust policy.

The post holder will be required to lead and develop the Trusts Moving & Handling policy to ensure that effective, safe, and modern techniques are practiced across all services provided by Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust.

The post holder will be responsible for the commissioning and procurement of moving and handling equipment and accessories for the Trust, including the responsibility for selecting suppliers considering cost, quality, delivery time, reliability and ensuring a suitable maintenance routine as per legal requirements.

The post holder will be required to work closely not only with staff on the wards but also with the Trusts health and safety department to ensure the trust is compliant with current statute and CQC standards requirements.

To ensure a consistent, coordinated approach to safe moving and handling within all the Trust.

To develop and facilitate the delivery of a comprehensive training programme which will promote safe moving and handling and a safe health environment for staff and patients.

The post holder will be re

sponsible for maintaining and developing the in-house training logs for all moving and handling training carried out across the organisation.

The post holder will be responsible for providing and presenting moving and handling training and compliance reports at Departmental and Senior Management level meetings as required.

To take responsibility for knowledge of national policy relating to moving and handling and ensure appropriate local implementation.

To oversee the supply and maintenance of appropriate equipment to all Trust areas to facilitate safe manual handling.

Key Result Areas & Performance:

To co-ordinate and facilitate the delivery of comprehensive and practical moving and handling training to Trust staff in the work environment in line with the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 & Manual handling Operations Regulations 1992 (as amended), Core Skills Training Framework (CSTF), National Health Service Litigation Authority (NHSLA), and Commission for Quality and Care (CQC) requirements. and all relevant Trust Policies.

To ensure moving and handling training is embedded within Trust mandatory training programmes in line with the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 & Manual Handling Operations Regulations of 1992 (as amended) and Trust Policy.

To develop and support an efficient and effective cascade programme for education surrounding moving and handling practices in line with Trust policy.

To co-ordinate and facilitate clinical skills training in-house and in the clinical environment liaising with and supporting the Trust's Practice Development Nurses.

To conduct a training needs analysis to develop and deliver relevant programmes as per CSTF and NBE guidelines at all levels of service provision within Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust.

To measure quality of moving and handling and competencies within Trust services against national standards.

To facilitate effective external and internal two-way communication with patients, carers, and other health care professionals regarding all aspects of moving and handling care.

To comply with the appropriate professional standards and rules of conduct

To attend relevant training courses and complete yearly appraisal and Personal Development Plan.

To disseminate information from training as required.

To lead the moving and handling agenda on relevant Trust group/committees.

To provide a professional service to support the Heads of Department, clinical leads, non-clinical leads and staff to raise awareness of safe moving and handling techniques and promote understanding of legislation and relevant best practice.

To carry out risk assessments within the Trust, where appropriate, moving and handling and other ergonomic workplace factors, which have been highlighted and liaise closely with Heads of Department in the development and implementation of recommendations.

To support Heads of Department in completing moving and handling and other associated ergonomic risk assessments and in the subsequent development and implementation of recommendations.

To investigate and evaluate incidents relating to moving and handling and provide recommendations and action plans to Heads of Departments.

Complete trend analysis reports.

To develop and implement an effective audit system to provide a framework for identifying levels of competence within legislative requirements and to highlight areas of good and bad practice.

To be responsible for review and update of the Trusts Moving and Handling Policy and associated procedures in line with the Trusts Health & Safety Policy which enables the Trust to fulfil its legal obligations and promote a pro-active approach to the management of risk related to moving and handling within the Trust.

To maintain records of training.

To act as the Trust Competent Person for all moving & handling activities.

Person Specification

Qualifications and Training

Essential

Masters or equivalent experience Professional clinical qualification , nurse, physiotherapist, occupational therapist with specializing in moving and handling Post Graduate Back Care / Healthcare Ergonomics or equivalent qualification or skills Member of the National Back Exchange or a recognised and relevant clinical registration , NMC/HCPC etc Recognised teaching qualification / experience Evidence of ongoing professional development

Desirable

Professional health and safety qualification Advanced Membership of the National Back Exchange

Experience

Essential

Evidence of significant post registration experience in a clinical setting Evidence of working in a moving and handling role within clinical and non-clinical situations. Experience of a teaching / coaching role within moving and handling scenarios. Effective working within the multi-disciplinary team Experience of risk assessment and risk management related to people and object handling Experience of writing policies and procedures and an ability to ensure these are implemented. Evidence of significant post registration experience in a clinical setting Experience of undertaking audits, analysing data, and developing action plans.

Desirable

Understanding of therapeutic handling in complex/changing situations. Knowledge of best practice in risk assessment and risk management Experience of a teaching / coaching in the management of a patient with suspected or actual spinal injury e:g safe log rolling technique and repositioning.

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