Module 7 of 86–8 minutes

Clinical Equipment and Handling Aids

Ceiling and mobile hoists, slings, stand-aids, slide sheets, transfer boards, air-assisted devices, profiling beds and everyday ward equipment — with pre-use checks, safe working loads and infection control.

Last reviewed September 2026 · Part of Manual Handling Training for Nurses and Healthcare Workers

Key learning points

Recognise the patient handling equipment used in hospitals and clinics and what each item is for
Explain why equipment use requires workplace training and competency
Carry out pre-use checks and understand safe working loads
Select the right sling type and size within your workplace procedure
Respond correctly to faulty, missing or unsuitable equipment
Combine safe handling with infection prevention

Equipment you will meet

Ceiling hoist: Track-mounted lift for dependent patients; removes pushing and floor-space problems; check track coverage and the rated load on the motor
Mobile (floor) hoist: Full-body lift with a sling for patients who cannot weight-bear; needs floor space, a charged battery and usually two staff
Stand-aid (sit-to-stand) hoist: For patients who can bear some weight, hold on and follow instructions; used for toileting and chair transfers, not as a walking aid
Slings: Universal, toileting or access, high-back or hammock, amputee, repositioning and bariatric; loop or clip attachment must match the hoist; size shown by a colour-coded label
Slide sheets: Flat or tubular low-friction sheets for rolling, moving up the bed and lateral transfers; reusable or single-patient disposable
Pat slide / transfer board: Rigid board that bridges the gap between bed and trolley; used with slide sheets, never alone on bare skin
Air-assisted lateral transfer device: Inflatable mattress that floats the patient across on a cushion of air; the standard for bariatric, intensive care and theatre transfers where available
Electric profiling bed and pressure mattress: Height, backrest, knee break and tilt at the press of a button; the single most-used piece of manual handling equipment on a ward
Walking belt: Padded belt with handles for guiding and steadying a patient during standing and walking; not a lifting device
Wheelchair and commode: Brakes, footplates, anti-tip bars and rated load; commodes over toilets need space to manoeuvre
Lifting cushion: Inflatable cushion or chair that raises a fallen patient from the floor to sitting height without manual lifting
IV poles, cylinder holders and equipment trolleys: Keep attachments and equipment moving with the patient rather than carried; check castors and stability

This course does not teach you to operate equipment

Text on a screen cannot make you competent on a hoist. Every device above must be learned in your workplace, on the actual model, with a competent assessor, before you use it with a patient. Hospitals run mandatory annual competencies for exactly this reason. Completing this course does not authorise you to use anything.

Hoists and slings

Check the safe working load on the hoist and on the sling — the lower of the two is the limit
Use the sling type specified for the patient and the task; a toileting sling is not a general-purpose sling
Confirm the size from the label and the fit on the patient, not from memory; a sling that is too large lets the patient slip, one that is too small cuts in
Check that loop slings go on loop hoists and clip slings on clip hoists; they are not interchangeable
Inspect the fabric, stitching, loops or clips and the label before every use; an illegible label means the sling is out of service
Position the sling according to your training, check every attachment before lifting, and lift only high enough to clear the surface
Follow the manufacturer's and your workplace's instruction on brakes during a lift with a mobile hoist — it differs between models
Never leave a patient suspended or unattended in a sling, and know where the emergency lowering control is

Stand-aid hoists

A stand-aid suits a patient who can bear weight through at least one leg, has some trunk control, can hold the handles and can follow instructions. It is a transfer device for short distances — bed to chair, chair to toilet — and not a way of walking a patient. If a patient cannot meet those criteria today, even if they could yesterday, a full hoist is required and the transfer status should be updated.

Slide sheets, boards and air-assisted devices

Slide sheets are inserted by rolling the patient, never by pulling them underneath
Use two sheets or a tube so that fabric slides on fabric; a single sheet on a mattress does very little
Remove reusable slide sheets after the move; a patient left lying on a slide sheet can slide out of bed
Transfer boards must be long enough to bridge the gap with a margin and rated for the patient's weight
Air-assisted devices need the patient rolled onto the deflated mattress, then inflation, then the move; they are quick once staff are trained, and they dramatically reduce the force
All of these reduce friction, which is exactly why they need brakes on, a clear command and someone on the far side to prevent over-travel

Pre-use checks

Hoist: Battery charged, service tag in date, brakes and castors, boom and spreader bar, emergency stop and lowering, no unusual noises, safe working load
Sling: Correct type and size for this patient, label legible, fabric and stitching intact, loops or clips undamaged, clean
Slide sheet: No tears or fraying, clean or single-patient, correct size for the task
Profiling bed: All functions work from the handset, brakes hold, rails and bed ends secure, mattress correctly fitted, rated load suits the patient
Wheelchair or commode: Brakes hold, tyres inflated, footplates and armrests secure, rated load, no cracked seat or frame
Walking belt: Buckle and handles secure, stitching intact, correct size, fastened snugly
Lifting cushion: Compressor charged, hoses and valves intact, correct positioning under the patient
IV pole or trolley: Castors run freely, base stable, height locks hold, load not top-heavy

Safe working loads

Every hoist, sling, bed, mattress, commode, wheelchair, chair, trolley, theatre table and imaging table has a safe working load, usually on a label. Weigh the patient rather than estimating, and check the rating on every item the patient will use, not only the hoist. A safe working load is an equipment rating set by the manufacturer; it is not a legal weight limit for staff, and it is never exceeded. If a patient is above the rating, bariatric equipment is sourced and the task waits.

Infection prevention alongside handling

Use single-patient slide sheets and disposable slings for patients in isolation, and dispose of them as your procedure requires
Reusable slings are allocated to one patient or laundered between patients; a sling must never go from one patient to the next
Wipe hoists, transfer boards, walking belts and cushions with the approved wipes between patients and record it where your schedule requires
Perform hand hygiene before and after handling, and change gloves between the patient and shared equipment
Gowns and gloves reduce grip and increase heat; allow extra time and use equipment rather than compensating with more force
Never place slings or slide sheets on the floor, and store clean equipment away from used linen

Practical scenario

Scenario: the sling with no label

You are preparing a hoist transfer. The only medium sling in the room has a label that has washed out — you cannot read the size, the safe working load or the last inspection date. A colleague says it is obviously a medium and they used it last week.

What should you do?

Reveal the explanation

Do not use it. Without a legible label you cannot confirm the size, the rating or that it is still in its service life, and a sling failure means a patient falling from height. Take it out of service and report it, source a labelled sling of the correct type and size, and delay the transfer if it is safe to do so. Report the shortage so the ward's sling stock is reviewed.

Practical scenario

Scenario: the hoist that stops mid-lift

During a ceiling hoist transfer the motor stops with the patient suspended above the bed. The handset does nothing.

What is the correct action?

Reveal the explanation

Reassure the patient and keep them steady. Use the emergency lowering control according to your training to bring them down onto the nearest safe surface, calling for help if you need another pair of hands. Do not attempt to lift the patient out of the sling manually. Tag the hoist out of service, report the fault through your equipment and incident systems, and arrange an alternative rated hoist for that patient.

Knowledge check

These questions are for your own learning. They are not part of the final assessment.

1. You have never been assessed on the stand-aid hoist on your new ward, but a colleague offers to talk you through it while you operate it. What should you do?

2. The label on a hoist sling has washed out and cannot be read. What is the correct response?

3. Which pre-use check is appropriate before a mobile hoist transfer?

4. A patient in contact isolation needs slide sheets for repositioning. Which practice is correct?