Patient safety belt warning

Incorrectly fitted safety belts on hoists, wheelchairs and stair lifts could cause fatal injury to patients, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has warned.

It has urged all nurses to ensure the safety belts are correctly fitted and adjusted, and properly maintained after receiving reports of six deaths, several serious injuries and numerous near misses since March 2005.

The agency said if the safety belts were not fitted correctly patients could fall from the seat or suffer 'positional asphyxiation' from slipping down in the seat.

To report an incident nurses should call the MHRA adverse incident hotline on 0207 084 3080 or visit www.mhra.gov.uk