Moving and Positioning – People

Moving and Positioning – People

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Course Overview

Moving and positioning people is one of the highest-risk activities in health and social care. It is also one of the areas where dangerous practice is most commonly passed down through the workforce without question, because it was taught that way, because everyone else does it that way, or because nobody has ever explained why it is wrong.

The drag lift is a clear example. It is a prohibited manual handling technique. It places severe strain on the spine of the care worker and causes pain, skin damage, and loss of dignity for the individual being moved. It has been contraindicated in professional guidance for decades. And yet it is still being taught and used in care settings across the UK, often by senior staff who learned it from someone else, passed through a non-accredited train-the-trainer course, and never had their practice formally assessed by a qualified moving and handling instructor.

This is not an edge case. It is a widespread and persistent risk, and it is precisely the kind of risk this course is designed to identify and eliminate.

Moving and Positioning People training gives care staff the knowledge, practical competence, and legal understanding to move and support individuals safely, in line with their individual care plan, using appropriate equipment, and in a way that protects both the person being supported and the person providing the support. It challenges unsafe routines, addresses the prohibited techniques that continue to cause harm, and builds the confidence to work safely in real care environments rather than repeating what has always been done.

All Prima Cura Training moving and positioning trainers hold the Level 3 Award in Moving and Handling People Training, along with all required teaching qualifications. Trainers complete competency updates every two years and are subject to quality assurance and observational checks. This is not a course taught by a senior carer who attended a one-day train-the-trainer session. It is delivered by qualified specialists who understand the difference between moving objects and moving people, and whose own practice is regularly reviewed.

The course reflects the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, HSE guidance on moving and handling, and the Handling of People 7th Edition (HOP7), which remains the definitive UK best practice framework for the moving and handling of people in health and social care.

Course Details

• Duration: Half day (3 to 4 hours) for theory and awareness, or full day for practical training. Refresher training also available
• Delivery: In-person at your venue. Face-to-face only for practical elements
• Certificate: CPD-accredited Level 2 Moving and Positioning People
• Validity: Annual refresher recommended due to the high-risk nature of this activity, or sooner following changes in role, new equipment, incidents, or updated risk assessments
• Group size: Up to 12 learners. Practical sessions may require smaller groups

Who This Course Is For

This course is right for any care staff whose role involves supporting individuals with movement, transfers, or repositioning, including:

• Care assistants and support workers in care homes, supported living, and domiciliary care
• Senior carers and team leaders
• Residential, nursing home, and community care staff
• Healthcare assistants
• Personal Assistants supporting individuals through Personal Health Budgets, Continuing Healthcare, or Direct Payment arrangements

It is also relevant for managers and supervisors responsible for moving and handling risk assessments, care planning, and staff competency oversight.

Why This Moving and Positioning Training Matters

Moving and handling injuries remain one of the leading causes of musculoskeletal harm among health and social care workers in the UK. The HSE is clear that under the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, employers must avoid hazardous manual handling where reasonably practicable, assess the risk where it cannot be avoided, and reduce that risk as far as possible. That duty includes ensuring staff are trained and competent, and that training is delivered by people qualified to deliver it.

The Handling of People 7th Edition (HOP7), the recognised UK best practice framework for moving and handling people, is explicit that moving and positioning must be based on individual risk assessment, supported by appropriate and properly maintained equipment, carried out by trained and competent staff, and reviewed and updated regularly. A moving and handling care plan that has not been reviewed following a change in the individual’s condition is not a safe plan. A technique taught by someone without a recognised qualification in moving and handling people is not safe training.

The consequences of poor practice fall on two people simultaneously. The care worker risks serious spinal injury, particularly from prohibited lifts such as the drag lift, the through-arm lift, and the Australian lift, all of which are contraindicated under current guidance and none of which should be taught or used in any care setting. The individual being moved risks pain, skin damage, falls, loss of dignity, and injury. In the worst cases, both happen at once.

CQC Regulation 12 (Safe Care and Treatment) requires providers to ensure that care is delivered safely and that risks are assessed and mitigated. Moving and handling is a direct test of that regulation in practice. Inspectors look at whether staff are trained, whether training was delivered by qualified instructors, whether care plans reflect current needs, and whether equipment is being used correctly. A service where drag lifts are still being used, where slings have not been inspected, or where moving and handling plans have not been updated following changes in the individual’s condition is a service with significant regulatory exposure.

What You Will Learn

By the end of the session, learners will be able to:

• Explain the legal framework governing moving and handling in care
• Anatomy and physiology of the spine
• Understand the principles of HOP7
• Identify the prohibited lifts, including the drag lift, the through-arm lift, and the Australian lift, and understand why they are prohibited
• Carry out a dynamic risk assessment before any moving and positioning activity
• Select and use appropriate equipment correctly
• Carry out sling selection
• Inspect hoists before use and understand what to look for and what to do when equipment is not fit for purpose
• Follow an individual’s moving and handling care plan correctly
• Maintain dignity, communication, and person-centred practice throughout
• Recognise and respond to unsafe practice

Course Content

Content is adapted to your setting, your equipment, and the individuals your team supports. Topics covered include:

• The legal framework
• HOP7: The Principles of the Handling of People, 7th Edition
• Risk assessment: the
• Prohibited lifts: the drag lift, through-arm lift, and Australian lift, and why each is prohibited
• Safer handling principles
• Equipment: hoists, slings, slide sheets, stand aids, and mobility aids, including practical use with your organisation’s own equipment where possible
• Sling selection and condition checks
• Hoist inspection
• Moving and handling care plans
• Transfers and repositioning
• Changing ability and changing risk: recognising when an individual’s needs have changed and acting on it rather than continuing with the existing plan
• Dignity and person-centred practice
• Reporting and recording: documenting concerns, incidents, and near misses correctly

How the Course Is Delivered

This course is delivered face-to-face. The practical elements cannot be assessed remotely, and we do not attempt to do so.

Where practical training is included, we use your organisation’s own equipment wherever possible. Learners practice with the hoists, slings, slide sheets, and stand aids they actually use in their working day, not generic equipment in an unfamiliar training room. This approach builds genuine confidence, reduces risk, and makes the training immediately transferable to practice.

Delivery includes:

• Clear explanation of the legal and best practice framework, including the prohibited lifts and why they remain in use despite being contraindicated
• Practical risk assessment exercises using real care scenarios from your setting
• Hands-on equipment work, including hoist operation, sling selection, and condition checks
• Scenario-based discussion covering decisions care workers actually face: what to do when the plan does not match the situation, when equipment is unavailable or damaged, and when an individual’s ability has changed
• Time for questions, because moving and positioning consistently generate them once people start examining what they have been taught and why

Certification and Validity

On completion, learners receive a CPD-accredited Level 2 certificate in Moving and Positioning People.

Annual refresher training is strongly recommended given the high-risk nature of this activity. Refresher training should also be arranged sooner following any significant change, including changes to an individual’s moving and handling care plan, introduction of new equipment, a moving and handling incident or near miss, or a change in a staff member’s own physical capacity. Treating annual refreshers as optional in a high-risk activity is not a safe approach, and CQC inspectors are increasingly likely to ask when moving and handling training was last completed and by whom it was delivered.

In-House and Bespoke Training

We adapt every session to your service, your equipment, and your client group.

Before and during delivery, we work around:

• The specific moving and handling tasks most relevant to your setting and staff roles
• The equipment used within your service, with practical training delivered using your own hoists, slings, and aids wherever possible
• Your moving and handling care plans, documentation, and risk assessment processes
• Your policies, incident reporting procedures, and escalation routes
• The specific individuals your team supports and the complexity of their moving and handling needs

We also work with managers and team leaders to address systemic issues, including reviewing whether existing practice reflects current guidance or whether unsafe techniques have become embedded through habit or poor training.

Course Location and Service Areas

We deliver in-house training at your workplace or chosen venue across Manchester, Greater Manchester, and the wider North West. We also deliver nationally, including North England, South England, London, and Surrey.

Practical moving and handling training is delivered face-to-face only. Theory elements may be delivered online via Zoom or Microsoft Teams, where a refresher without a practical assessment is required.

FAQs

Related Courses

• Health & Safety Awareness Training
• Risk Assessment Training
• Safeguarding Adults Training
• Mental Capacity Act 2005 & DoLS
• Infection Prevention and Control Training
• Person-Centred Care Planning

Our Commitment to Quality and Compliance

At Prima Cura Training, all courses reflect current UK guidance and best practice.

All trainers are experienced professionals with relevant qualifications and ongoing CPD. Because many of the organisations we support work with vulnerable individuals, all trainers hold Enhanced DBS checks.

This course is reviewed against updates from the Health and Safety Executive, BackCare, the Care Quality Commission, and current UK legislation, including the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. Course content aligns with the Handling of People 7th Edition (HOP7).

You can read more on our Quality Assurance and Compliance page.

Reviewed by Stephanie Austin, Owner and Lead Trainer, Prima Cura Training | 25+ years in health and social care | 15+ years as a trainer Last | reviewed: April 2026 | Next review: April 2027

This page is for general guidance only and reflects current UK health and safety legislation, HSE guidance, and HOP7 best practice as of the date of review. It does not constitute legal or clinical advice. Moving and Positioning People Training supports safe practice but does not replace organisation-specific moving and handling risk assessments, individual moving and handling care plans, or equipment-specific training from manufacturers. Where moving and handling incidents occur or where unsafe practice is identified, employers should seek independent health and safety advice.

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