Moving and handling plans change: after a fall, a new piece of equipment, a review, or a change in the person's condition. Paper copies do not change with them. The printout in the folder in someone's home can be months out of date and still look official.
The inspection view
Inspectors look for plans that are current and followed. A common finding in care services is not that a plan is missing, but that staff are not sure which version is the right one, or where to find it.
Three habits that help
- Put a version and a date on every plan, and a review date.
- Make the current plan easier to reach than the old one.
- Record who has read which version, so a change can be followed up.
Paper that points to the current plan
Every Handling Plan printout carries a square that opens the latest version. If the paper and the screen disagree, the screen is right, and the carer can see that in seconds.