Smooth move for Darlington nurse

Diane Hindson, part of the back care advisory team at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, recognised that existing slide sheets were far from ideal either for patients or staff so set about finding a solution.

Diane said, "Slide sheets are an essential piece of equipment used by nurses to reduce the risk of injury to patients when they are being moved, in particular from skin damage caused by friction. Patients include those who have just had surgery or suffered a stroke, may not be mobile and we also use them to gently move patients nearing the end of their life, whilst maintaining their comfort and dignity.

"There are a range of slide sheets available, which can be confusing for staff trying to decide which to use.  I wanted to create a one-size fits all solution to reduce the risk of injury to patients and those moving them, and thought long and hard about the ideal design.  Needlework was my favourite subject at school and I even won the needlework prize!  Once I reached the stage of developing prototype ReDi Slides, my sewing kit spent more time at work than at home.

"Slide sheets are made from nylon with a special coating to reduce friction and make moving patients easy and safe.  My final design is essentially two slide sheets stitched together, leaving splits, making a large partial tube shape which covers the whole bed or trolley area. I worried that it was too simple, but when we tried it out on our wards the feedback was excellent.  Staff felt the ReDi Slide protected patients very well, whether they were being transferred between bed and trolley or being repositioned in bed.  Staff also felt less at risk of injury themselves, which is so important because musculoskeletal injuries are the main cause of sickness absence in the NHS.

"Following feedback we added pictorial labels indicating the 'head' and 'feet' ends, as well as a small loop of fabric, so the ReDi Slide can be hung up when not in use."

"My daughter came up with the name, which is a combination of the slide sheet colour and my name - "Red" and "Di"!

The Trust has supported Diane in developing the ReDi Slide as a commercial product, which she doesn't believe she could have done on her own because of the complexity of the processes involved.  The Trust recently took delivery of its first supply for use on their wards.

The ReDi Slide has been shortlisted for a prestigious Royal College of Nursing RCNi award although Diane will have to wait until May to find out if she's a winner.

Trust director of nursing, Noel Scanlon, said, "This marvellous innovation will enable patients to be moved with much less discomfort to them and a much reduced risk of injury to nursing and other care staff. We are very grateful to Diane and her colleagues who have developed the ReDi slide and go the extra mile for their patients."