Bed rails is a complex subject due to the sheer variety available, conflicts with other equipment and their implications in respect of DoLs legislation. Like patient moving and handling, this would be something to be tought in either a classroom or 1 to 1 situation rather than via a video or online training programme. That way, you can tailor the training to the type of beds found in that particular home and the care needs of your service users. There are a few guidance documents here - https://www.google.co.uk...i=2S9nVc6UCISz7AbCx4PYCA largely from the HSE and UK health authorities. This link may be of interest - http://www.wales.nhs.uk/...splus/861/opendoc/183148 Appears to be a BUPA / HSE joint effort but seems to be undated so double check the statements before incorporating it in to your training. Finally, as with all training, include a competency check to ensure the staff member under instruction has understood what is being explained to them.

I contacted HSE earlier this year asking about the online training tool that used to be available on their website (the text version of which is in the link provided by stevie40). This is the answer I got: "HSE recently decided to remove the bedrails tool from our website as some of the information had become out of date following the introduction of the new British Standards. BUPA own this product and we had hoped to replace the tool with an updated version being worked on by BUPA at the moment. However, this has taken longer than they expected and so we have removed the tool and not replaced it. It is hoped that when the revised tool is finished that this may be placed on the web and we would then link to it but this isn’t certain at this stage. You may want to contact BUPA directly to find out more." However, even if staff were to access such training it would need to be backed-up with information and instruction regarding the fitting and maintenance of the specific bedrails used by your clients. For those beds where the rails are an integral part, the manufacturer should be able to provide information on maintenance. For third-party bedrails, can the person who prescribed the rail provide you with information on correct fitting and maintenance? We prepared a guide for our staff on carrying out visual inspections of bedrails. If you pm me your e-mail address I'd be happy to send this to you.

Thank you Toe for your reply. I agree it is a complex subject. This issue regarding bed rails training was raised recently at a NASHICS conference. My issue is that the maintenance checks are going to be undertaken by the local maintenance staff and we have several types of beds in use.