Handle with caore

Handle with care: The new moving and handling qualification built with patients in mind

Employees in health and social care have some of the most physical jobs going, and are often doing moving and handling tasks in the workplace that simply don’t exist in other job roles. On top of that, moving and handling often involves unique risks and vulnerable individuals. That’s why we need dedicated moving and handling training for those in this sector – so that we can focus on the specialised skills needed for safe movement for patients as well as staff.

We’ve built the new iCQ Level 2 Award in Moving and Handling People in Health and Social Care to fill this need. It’s been developed in alignment with the Core Skills Training Framework standards – written by our sister organisation Skills for Health and widely used across the sector as the basis for statutory and mandatory training.

What is the new iCQ Level 2 Award in Moving and Handling in Health and Social Care?

• It is a regulated qualification, giving you peace of mind that it’s independently verified and designed to meet the needs of employers, staff and patients.
• It can also provide formal recognition and a refresher for existing staff who have done other, non-regulated training in moving and handling.
• Being a Level 2 Award means it’s great for those new to the sector without making it a training burden.

What does the iCQ Level 2 Award in Moving and Handling in Health and Social Care cover?

There are two mandatory units in this qualification, covering essential knowledge and understanding of moving and handling. Learning outcomes include:

• Understand current legislation, policies, standards, local ways of working and codes of conduct in relation to moving and positioning individuals – including own and others’ responsibilities and accountability, and health and safety factors.
• Understand anatomy and physiology – including how it relates to moving and positioning and the potential injuries which may arise from failing to follow approved techniques.
• Know when to seek advice and/or assistance from others – including sources of information and other professionals who may help.
• Be able to minimise risk and prepare to move and position an individual – including carrying out a person-centred risk assessment, confirming valid consent, preparing the physical environment, and maintaining patient dignity.
• Be able to move and position an individual – including effective communication, using equipment properly, monitoring and encouraging active participation, and maintaining records and reports in relation to the patient.

Why is the iCQ Level 2 Award in Moving and Handling in Health and Social Care better than other training already available?

• It’s specific to healthcare – meaning it takes into account the unique skills needed when working with patients, whereas most training focuses on moving and handling of goods and objects.
• Unregulated training has its place in skills development, but nothing beats a nationally recognised and regulated standard of achievement. Safe moving and handling of people and patients is a mandatory skill for a reason, and employees and patients alike deserve the best possible training standards to be met.

Why should training providers and employers be champing at the bit to qualify learners for this qualification?

This qualification was built by request from the healthcare sector. Too many people were struggling to find regulated qualifications that met the training needs for moving and handling of patients, so we built a taskforce to design something that makes this mandatory requirement simple.

This award has been developed with broad applicability – meaning you don’t need to worry about levels and existing experience. This award will provide all employees with essential skills, no matter their role. That’s one of the benefits of iCQ and Skills for Health working together to make sure we’re providing a sector-wide standard of skills development.

Most importantly, it’s about peace of mind for employers that employees are moving patients safely and delivering the best possible care.

Who is this qualification ideal for?

In short, everybody that moves and handles patients within health and social care services!

• New care workers starting out and needing foundational skills
• Staff who need a refresher on safe moving and handling
• Existing staff to recognise and verify their skills.

Your next steps – get moving with iCQ and we’ll handle the process

Thinking of offering this in your training centre? Here’s what to do:

1. Register as a centre with iCQ – our simple processes means you can get set up quickly.
2. Download the full qualification specification and check the delivery and assessment requirements.
3. Plan the course sessions, practical work and assessments.
4. Register your learners and make a move on their training!