FOI 25-074 Manual Handling Incidents
Freedom of Information Request
- Reference
- FOI 25-074 Manual Handling Incidents
- Request Date
- 10 Feb 2025
- Response Date
- 27 Feb 2025
- Information Requested
I was looking for information around frontline staff who have suffered workplace injury, mainly through manual handling of patients. How many times these injuries led to staff having to take time off or being put onto lighter duties? The amount of work hours lost, the cost to the service of this.
If possible I would also be interested in any research the service has performed with regards to the practicalities of slide sheets being used by front line staff. For the 23/24 period and if it is available 24/25.
- Response
The Scottish Ambulance Service does not categorise manual handling incidents in a way that would allow us to report specifically on patient related incidents.
Public authorities are not required to create information in order to answer a request. There’s a distinction between creating new information, and compiling information. Where a request can be answered by compiling information from readily-available resources held by the public authority, this is not the same as creating new information. However, if collation of the information would require skill and complex judgement, the information is not held.
To answer the request of light-duties staff or ‘work hours lost’ would require the Scottish Ambulance Service to review every manual handling incident and cross-check it with each staff’s employment history to ascertain if there was time off work for ‘hours lost’ or the staff member was on light-duties; all of which are held on multiple systems.
I have concluded that, we are unable to produce this information without complex skill and judgement. It is for this reason we have applied section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 as information not held.
The table below details the total manual handling incidents reported by Scottish Ambulance Service staff, these figures are inclusive of all incidents.
Calander year
from 1st Jan 23 to 31st Dec 23 - 310 injuries
from 1st Jan 24 to 31st Dec 24 - 304 injuries
from 1st Jan 25 to 31st Jan 25 - 30 injuries
total 644
The Scottish Ambulance Service does not hold and records of research the practicalities of slide sheets being used by front line staff. It is for this reason I have applied section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 as information not held.
