STH Portering Staff Familiarisation

Mortuary Familiarisation

For Portering Staff

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St Helier Hospital Site

Welcome

To your mortuary familiarisation session.This orientation is provided as an online session in order to orientate as many members of staff as possible to a basic standard.

Once you have completed this course, download your results (there's a button to click) and arrange for a visit to the mortuary.If you score less than 80% in the final assessment you will need to repeat the course until you achieve the pass mark.This course and an orientation visit forms your complete familiarisation, after which your manager can apply for mortuary access rights for you.

Data Use

What this session covers...

• Mortuary Security
• Mortuary Equipment
• Admitting a Body to the Mortuary
• Bariatric Patients
• Baby & Perinatal Cases
• Mortuary Viewings
• Incidents & Accidents

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Mortuary Security

Mortuary security is a very important matter to the Trust and is the responsibility of all staff not to do anything that may compromise the facilities in place to ensure that the mortuary remains an "out of bounds" area to anyone not approved to have access. You are an essential part of maintaining mortuary security.

Introduction

• No entry unless you are undertaking a mortuary task

• Do not allow any other person to access the mortuary

• Ensure that the mortuary is secure AT ALL times.

The use of mobile telephones and any form of recording equipment* is strictly prohibited within the mortuary at any timewithout the exlpicit consent of the mortuary manager.

*(camera, mobile phone and audio etc.)

Tailgating is when a second person (or more) follows you through a door you have accessed with your card. NEVER allow a second person to follow you through a door. If two of you are detailed to a mortuary task BOTH of you must check in - this also ensures that your access remains current.

Your Access...

Your access is limited to you and you only. You are not permitted to use your card to allow access to the mortuary to anyone else - including colleagues. Anyone who cannot access the mortuary must report to the security office and request access.

Any non-task access will be regarded as a security breach and may result in disciplinary action

Your Access...

Your access allows you to enter the mortuary only to perform a requested mortuary duty, not for any other purpose. You are not permitted to access the mortuary for any other reason - for example, to take a rest in a quiet area or to use the toilet facilities etc

All doors that have magnetic locks fitted must be closed and locked when you are not present in the mortuary.This includes the time you have collected the body trolley and are going to collect a body from a ward or department.

Door Security

Doors must be locked at all times.

CCTV & Movement Sensors

All access to the mortuary is recorded and auditted on a regular basis.

All movement within the department is recorded on Trust operated CCTV. This footage is viewed on a regular basis.

Movement sensors are also in operation.

Mortuary Equipment

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Personal Protective Equipment

Whilst you are working in the mortuary, you must wear personal protective equipment appropriate to the task you are undertaking.This is as per your mandatory infection prevention and control training, together with any guidance issued by the ward or deprtment staff from where you are collecting the deceased.

Using the Hydraulic Mortuary Lift

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Watch this short video that shows you how to operate the mortuary hydraulic trolley.

The brakes on the hydraulic trolley must be engaged when loading and unloading

Click the play icon to play the video

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Remember:

• Be careful at ALL TIMES not to allow the trolley or tray to make contact with any other patient already in the cold store;

• It is easy to damage the face or head and is very distressing for the relatives of the patient - and also for the staff members involved;

• Pay particular attention to the door locks and fittings which extend from both sides of the door. The body tray can become caught under the lock and the tray will tip.

When moving a loaded body tray on the hydraulic lifting trolley - do not raise the tray above the level of your hips

Max.

When moving the loaded hydraulic lift trolley...

Admitting a Body to the Mortuary

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Gloves

Concealment Trolley

This is the minimum PPE you require.Please take note of any requirement you are told about by the ward or departmental staff from where you are collecting the body

Equipment Required...

Remember:

This is ALWAYS a TWO person task

• Collect the required equipment from the mortuary
• Remove the deceased from the ward, as per your training

Remember to collect the patient notes from the ward and bring them to the mortuary with the deceased

Collecting the deceased...

Upon arrival at the mortuary...

• Choose an unoccupied cold store space - look at the mortuary white board to see which ones can be used.

• Remove the body tray from the cold store - as per the earlier video you watched.

• Remember - one person handles the tray and the hydraulic lifting trolley - the other observes and warns their colleague to stop if any problems are identified.

Cold Store Space Sizes (1 to 40)

15" / 38cm Deep

20" / 50cm Wide

12" / 30cm Deep

Top Space

All Other Spaces

20" / 50cm Wide

Cold Store Space Sizes (41 to 44)

15" / 38cm Deep

20" / 50cm Wide

12" / 30cm Deep

Top Space

All Other Spaces

22" / 50cm Wide

Cold Store Space Sizes (45 to 54)

12" / 30cm Deep

26" / 66cm Wide

10" / 25cm Deep

Top Space

All Other Spaces

26" / 66cm Wide

Do not place bodies in the cabinets clearly marked as deep freeze

These are for for use by mortuary staff only

Body Handling Reminders:

• All mortuary tasks require TWO people - no exceptions
• The body must be handled with dignity and respect at all times
• Great care must be taken when operating the body stacking trolley to ensure that no accidents happen

• Take care not to damage the body - paying particular care of the patient's head when transferring them from one trolley to another

These are general spaces

These are bariatric spaces

These are suitable for large bodies

These are suitable for very large bodies

Cold Store Spaces

These are standard spaces

These are not suitable for larger bodies

Find an empty cold store space.

These will not have a cross in the box

Bariatric

Empty Space

General

Standard

No's 1-40

No's 41-44

No's 45-54

Enter patient details in the register

Please write CLEARLY and ensure that all required information is entered

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1/1/2029

03.35

Ample

Edgar X

99

M

C5 Ward

John SmithPeter Gray

1/1/2029

00:45

Before you leave the department

• Make sure the cold store doors are closed shut
• Make sure the whiteboard space has been crossed and in the admissions book
• The patient notes have been placed into the blue box in the cupboard under the admissions register
• (Between 0800 and 1600hrs Monday to Friday - notes are to be taken to the Bereavement Services Office)

Make sure that all doors are closed and secure after you leave.

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Bariatric Patients

Bariatric Patients

Bariatric = of or relating to the treatment of obesity

From time to time a patient will die whose physical size requires transfer to the mortuary to be different in order to maintain dignity and respect and staff safety. You will usually be made aware of these circumstances by the ward prior to you arriving to transfer the patient.

It is essential that all patients, including those of larger stature, are transferred to the mortuary in a safe, dignified and respectful manner.You may require extra staff members of the portering team to make this possible - so please assess the transfer BEFORE you attempt to move the patient - be guided by the nurse in charge, clinical site manager or your own manager.

It is usual for the patient to be moved to the mortuary on their hospital bed. In order for this to be done in an appropriate manner the mortuary has two bed covers which are used to cover the bed and patient, affording privacy and dignity to the patient as well as any members of staff or visitors who may witness the transfer of the patient within the hospital.

Important Note Regarding Bariatric Beds

Not all baraitric beds will fit throught the mortuary doors

The deceased may need to be transferred to a standard or typical bariatric bed before they are transferred to the mortuary.

It is important to check that the bed will pass through the mortuary doors BEFORE the deceased is moved from the ward.If the bed will not pass through the doors, raise the issue with your manager and/or the clinical site managers BEFORE the patient is moved from the ward or department.

IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE FOR A BODY TO BE LEFT OUTSIDE OF THE MORTUARY WHILST THE ISSUE OF ACCESS IS ADDRESSED - THEY MUST REMAIN ON THE WARD UNTIL THE ISSUE IS ADDRESSED.

Bariatric Patients - continued

The bed covers are stored in the mortuary cold store roomThe following procedure applies:

• Collect the bed cover and strap from the mortuary
• Place the strap either from the headboard to footboard or across the cot sides*
• Place the cover over the entire bed and patient*
• Ensure that the patient is completely covered by the bed cover*
• Collect notes
• Transfer the deceased to the mortuary

* The straps are located in the pocket on the outside of the individual bed covers.

Bariatric Patients - continued

Arrival at the Mortuary...

• Assess whether the patient can be safely accommodated in the cold store.

• If the patient is physically too large to be safely accommodated in the cold store:

If you are unsure - DO NOTHING - contact the on-call mortuary technician via the hospital switchboard for advice.

The on-call mortuary technician will need to be called and will attend the mortuary to set up the dedicated bariatric patient cooling system.It is important to do this as speedily as possible - so please make sure you call them as soon as you assess the patient to be too large to be safely accommodated in the cold store space.

NEVER force a patient into a cold store space

Damage caused to a deceased patient is classified as a serious untoward incident and must be reported to the Human Tissue Authority for formal investigation.

Challenging Admissions...

There are times when a body will be challenging to accommodate in the cold stores, typically these cases will be:

• Bent at the neck - with a high risk of their head making contact with the tray above them

• Narrow enough to be accomodated on a cold store tray but too deep to avoid making significant contact with the tray above.

When dealing with such cases you should remove the tray above the one you will be placing the deceased BEFORE you attempt to place the body in the cold store. Typically top cold store spaces have greater space.

If you need advice regarding how to manage a case, please contact the mortuary staff BEFORE you attempt to do anything with the deceased

All bodies must be treated with the same dignity and respect as any other patient.

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Baby & PerinatalCases

Baby and perinatal cases

• Babies are transferred to the mortuary in the small vinyl remains carrier located in the entrance foyer of the mortuary.

• The details of the baby are written in the mortuary admissions books as with any other case.

Babies are placed in the relevant (labeled) cold storage space.

Admission & transfer of Babies to and from the mortuary is ALWAYS a two person task

Baby and perinatal cases

Remember to place a cross in the cold store space on the whiteboard. If there is no space in the dedicated perinatal cold store (A-C), place the remains in an ordinary cold store, as you would an adult. Remember to write the cold store location in the mortuary register.

Transferring Babies to a ward or department

If a baby is transferred back to a ward or department (for viewing, etc.), this must be recorded in the transfer book.

Transfer Out

Transferring Babies back from a ward or department

If a baby is transferred back to the mortuary after transfer to a ward or department, the "Return to Mortuary" section must be completed

Return

Remember to write the transfer details in the TRANSFER book and not the mortuary admission register.

Mortuary Viewings

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Viewings can only be requested by the Clinical Site Teams

Any requests from wards should be politely declined, and the ward should be referred to the Clinical Site Team.

It is NOT the responsibility of portering staff to identify and prepare the body or conduct the viewing.

Portering staff are only responsible for moving the deceased from the cold store to the viewing room.

Incidents &Accidents

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You must report the following instances...

Click on each of the icons for instance examples

Reporting Incidents

During normal mortuary working hours...

Outside of normal mortuary working hours...

• Report any incident to your senior manager
• Report the incident to the Clinical Site Manager
• Report the incident to the on-call mortuary technician via switchboard (this can be done by your senior manager or Clinical Site Manager)

• Report the incident to the mortuary staff on call immediately

Remember...

A member of the mortuary team is available for advice outside normal working hours - 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

• They can be contacted via the hospital switchboard.
• Call the switchboard and ask for the on-call mortuary technician for your site to be called.

Congratulations!

You have reached the end of your mortuary familiarization session. There is now a short assessment. When you are ready, click the "next" button

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Please save your results.

• If you have scored over 85%, please contact the mortuary for an orientation visit.
• Take your results printout with you when you visit.
• If not already done, ask your manager to complete a mortuary access application form and send it to the mortuary manager for action.

You have now finished this familiarisation session.

You can now close this presentation

Security Breaches

• Serious incidents of unauthorised access or interference with a body or samples.

• Access to the mortuary by authorised personnel for an unauthorised purpose.

Accidental damage to a body

• This means any damage to a body that has the potential to cause distress to the family or may lead to damage in public confidence in the Trust. Mortuary Services or Portering Services

• Dropping the body of the deceased during transfer to the mortuary or when being transferred from concealment trolley to cold store tray etc.

Dropping a body during transfer

How your data is used

Data Use

The Mortuary will use the information provided by you to process your particpation in this familiarisation session and to record your progress and assessment results.By entering your information into this presentation and submitting it to us you give your consent for this processing.Your details are safe with us. We will never sell them.The only personal details collected are your name.

Wrong Body Viewed

• This means any incident where the incorrect body is viewed. This could be that the wrong body was prepared for a viewing, or the correct body was prepared but the incorrect family were shown into the viewing room.