New ‘moving and enabling’ initiative helps patients in recovery to reach their potential while in hospital.
Often, when older patients enter the hospital their movement can be reduced due to their health condition and physical actions are then aided by staff. But the moving and enabling approach wants to see an increase in patients inside the hospital work alongside staff to move more freely and independently, even if this takes more time.
Yeovil Hospital’s Lead Occupational Therapist Hannah Bagatelas said: “The approach we need to take as health care professionals is one which should empower and enable people to be as independent as possible. As a hospital, we encourage our patients to move and to do so by giving them the control preparing them to go home. The more we use the moving and enabling approach, we can see improvements in the strength and ability of our patients.”
Handicare, a company that makes accessible transferring and lifting aids, has worked alongside Hannah and the hospital’s Moving and Handling Advisor Nicola Webber, to help aid patients on the wards and have kindly donated a range of equipment for ward 7B. They also generously provided free training specific to ‘moving and enabling’ patients for all nursing staff on the ward and to all physio and occupational therapists within the hospital.
Handicare’s National Patient Handling Adviser Mark Ripley said: “The ‘moving and enabling’ initiative focuses on the individual, their engagement and what they can do, or how much they can participate in the task. The Handicare team assisted with bridging the gap from hospital discharge to life back at home by prescribing and providing specific aids. Introducing the equipment that the individual has become familiar with when in hospital to their home environment is a contributing factor to the successful implementation of the moving and enabling approach.”
Yeovil Hospital is determined to empower patients to be independent and get home faster.
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