National Patient Safety Alert: Patient hoists and slings (all types) – risk of death and serious harm from falls

Date of Issue: 16 September 2026

Reference No: NatPSA/2026/005/MHRA

This alert is for action by: All those responsible for the use, purchase and/or maintenance of patient hoists, working within all acute and community healthcare organisations, care homes, nursing homes and care services supporting people in their own homes, and their equipment providers.

This is a safety critical and complex National Patient Safety Alert. Implementation should be coordinated by an executive leader

(or equivalent senior accountable person, such as a registered manager or responsible induvial, in organisations without executive boards).

Fatal and serious harm continues to occur when patients fall from hoists or slings during transfers and repositioning. A review of recent incidents with a fatal outcome and wider surveillance data shows an average of two deaths per year since 2015. This is not confined to any manufacturer, model, or care setting. The most common causes of fatal and serious patient falls from hoists include:

- Detachment at critical load-bearing interfaces, including spreader bar hooks, clips, carabiners, fasteners, or other parts that are missing, worn, damaged or incorrectly assembled.

- Incompatible hoist and sling combinations, including use of third-party slings not validated for the specific hoist.

- Failure to identify damaged or incorrectly seated sling loops, or incorrect attachment to spreader bars during fitting and use.

- Failure to conduct effective pre-use checks that would identify unsafe equipment.

- Inadequate or overdue maintenance, servicing and examination under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER). This included continued use of a hoist or component parts beyond their indicated service life without risk assessment.

- Use of wrong size or type of sling for the patient.

- Insufficient staff training and competence assessment for the relevant hoist and sling types, including failure to follow correct manual handling procedures.

- Non-compliance with manufacturer’s instructions for use (IFU)

All Actions to be completed by: 16 September 2027

1. Ensure that standardised pre-use checks are in place and completed for all hoists and slings (aligned with manufacturer’s IFU) to identify unsafe states. Pre-use checks should include a pause-and-check step after initial load take-up but before the patient is entirely lifted to verify that all sling attachment points are securely attached before proceeding.

2. Review and document the compatibility of all hoists and sling combinations in use across your organisation. In exceptional circumstances, where compatibility cannot be confirmed through the manufacturer’s IFU, a risk assessment with supporting technical evidence must be completed by a qualified person. Maintain a local register of approved combinations and ensure this is accessible to all relevant staff.