So why are the majority of care homes calling for an ambulance and contributing to the NHS‘s DTOC (Delayed Transfer Of Care or Bed Blocking) crisis rather than lift
up their residents themselves?
Well there’s a variety of reasons:
- Staff may not have access to the right equipment.
- They might not be fully trained in manual handling.
- They may have been told to call 999 to protect the home from being sued if the resident is injured whilst being lifted.
- They may even genuinely believe calling 999 is the best thing to do for the fallen resident.
Some of those may even be fair points. After all, how do you know when it’s safe to lift an uninjured frequent faller using a lifting device like the Mangar Health Camel or ELK and when is it appropriate to call an ambulance? To help answer that question West Midlands Ambulance Service released a guide known as ISTUMBLE to aid people working in a care home environment…
Post Fall Assessment - Care Homes
