Questions about Handling Plan
Everything people ask before they start, and most of what they ask afterwards. If yours is not here, talk to us and a clinician answers.
The platform
What is Handling Plan?
A place to write a person's moving and handling plan and get it to the people who carry it out. You build it from a library of verified plans, individualise every step for the person, and send the care team a code they open on any phone. It is made by Thrive Better Living and written by HCPC-registered occupational therapists and physiotherapists.
Who is it for?
Occupational therapists, physiotherapists, nurses, moving and handling advisers and care managers who write moving and handling plans, whether they work for themselves, for a council, for an NHS trust or for a care provider. Care agencies read the plans you send them and need no account of their own.
Do I need to be registered with a regulator?
Yes. Creating an account asks for your professional registration number, from HCPC, NMC or your own regulator. It is held on your account, it is recorded on every plan you save, and it cannot be used on a second account, so a single subscription cannot be shared between colleagues.
Is it a replacement for an assessment?
No, and it does not try to be. Every plan in the library is a template. It must be individualised for the person, trialled on the real task and signed off by a competent assessor before anyone uses it. The platform is where that work is written down and shared, not a substitute for doing it.
The plans
What is in the library?
Fifty-four verified plans, each with its preparation, its numbered steps, the carer positions, the checks, the stop points and the review triggers. They follow a Local Authority procedures manual based on The Handling of People (6th edition) and are checked against HSE, LOLER, PUWER, MHRA and NICE guidance. Every plan carries the version it was verified at, who verified it and when it is next due for review.
Which sections does a plan cover?
Movement in Bed, On/Off the Bed, Mobility, On/Off the Chair, Sit to Stand, Toileting and Raise from Floor. Personal care and dressing plans are in preparation and will appear as they are verified. A section with nothing in it is not printed.
Can I write my own plan?
Yes. Where the library does not cover what a person needs, you can add a custom plan for that person with your own steps, cues, checks and stop points. It prints alongside the verified ones and is marked as your own.
Can I change a plan after I have sent it?
Yes. Saving the same client again updates the plan in place and keeps the same code, so the care agency does not need a new link. The date and version on the plan move with it.
Can I print a plan?
Yes, print it or save it as a PDF at any point. Before it prints you are asked to confirm the contact details that go on it, so the care team, the person or their family can reach the clinician who wrote it.
The care team
Does the care agency need an account?
No. They open the plan with the code you send them, on any phone or computer. There is nothing for them to buy, install or sign up for.
How do I know they have read it?
Each carer records their name and role at the bottom of the plan, and you see the list along with how many times the plan has been opened and when. Entries are self-declared: anyone holding the code can record a name, so treat it as a record that the plan reached the team rather than as verified identity.
How long does a plan code last?
Twelve months from the last time you saved it. Saving it again puts the clock back. You can also extend, resend or withdraw a plan at any time.
Client information
Is client information stored?
No names, dates of birth or addresses. A plan is stored under a client reference and its plan code, with the clinical details you write for the person, so what is kept is pseudonymised: only your service can link the reference to the person. Plans are deleted twelve months after the last save unless saved again.
Where do the client references come from?
The site issues them, so no two clients share one and nobody has to invent a format. An organisation seat gets its organisation's initials, an individual account gets the clinician's own initials and account number, then a running number and a single letter for sex. An organisation called Northfield Community Therapy would produce something like NCT-0007-F.
What happens if I change computer?
Your clients and their plans are kept in the browser you work in, and everything you have saved is on your account. On a new machine, open the Clients page and choose "Restore my saved plans" to bring them back.
Accounts and billing
What does it cost?
A 14-day free trial with no card, then a price per clinician that falls as the team grows: £19 for one clinician, £17 for 2 to 10, £15 for 11 to 20 and £13 for 21 to 30, all excluding VAT and all on one invoice for the service. Services of 31 or more have their own arrangement.
What happens when the trial ends?
Your clients, their plans and the plan codes stay exactly as they are. Choose a plan from your account page to keep saving and sharing. Care agencies can keep opening plans you have already shared.
Is there a contract?
No. Monthly plans run month to month and can be cancelled from your account at any time. Annual plans are billed once a year.
What happens if I cancel?
Access continues to the end of the period you have paid for. After that you can still sign in, and your clients and their saved plans are all still there, but saving and sharing stop until you choose a plan again. Plan codes already with a care agency keep working until they expire. Nothing is deleted because you cancelled.
Are the prices inclusive of VAT?
Prices are shown excluding VAT. VAT is added at the current UK rate on the invoice or Stripe receipt, and a VAT invoice is available for every payment for your finance team.
How do several clinicians in one service work together?
Each clinician signs up with their own work email and their own registration number, and names the same organisation. They then share one reference prefix, so the whole service's client references line up. Tell us how many seats you need and we will put them on one invoice.
Do you offer student or trainee access?
Yes. Students on an accredited occupational therapy, physiotherapy or nursing course can ask for free access with proof of enrolment. Ask about student access.
How do I get help?
Contact the clinical team. Messages are read and answered by an HCPC-registered occupational therapist or physiotherapist, normally within one working day. Where a handling plan already in use appears unsafe or incorrect, we prioritise it. A carer who has been sent a plan can raise a question about it without an account.
Ready to begin? Start a free trial.
A team or a whole service? Compare plans and pricing.
A team or a whole service? Compare plans and pricing.
Handling Plan is a tool by Thrive Better Living Ltd · handlingplan.com · Privacy · No client name, date of birth or address is stored in Handling Plan.