Emergency MHRA Alert: Fatal Risks from Hoist and Sling Failures

On 16th September 2026, the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued a safety-critical National Patient Safety Alert. The alert serves as a stark warning: fatal and serious harm continues to occur when individuals fall from hoists or slings during transfers and repositioning. Tragically, national surveillance data reveals an average of two fatal incidents every year since 2015.

If your care facility relies on generic, static manual handling refresher training, your care team may be missing critical, life-saving safety checks. Failing to embed the mandatory actions required under this alert leaves your service exposed to severe risk and potential regulatory enforcement by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), Care Inspectorate, or CIW.

The Hidden Dangers in Routine Transfers

The MHRA has highlighted that these incidents are not confined to any single manufacturer, model, or care setting. Instead, investigations repeatedly point to similar contributing operational factors. The most common causes include:

• Equipment Failures: Detachment at critical load-bearing interfaces, including spreader bar hooks, clips, carabiners, and fasteners that are missing, worn, damaged, or incorrectly assembled.
• Incompatible Combinations: The highly dangerous practice of using third-party slings that have not been tested or validated for the specific hoist model in use.
• Missed Pre-Use Checks: Ineffective pre-use inspections, leading to undetected wear, fabric degradation, or incorrectly seated sling loops prior to lifting.

"You cannot learn how to physically feel for a properly seated sling loop, or reliably execute the critical 'pause-and-check' step, from an online e-learning video. When transferring vulnerable individuals, practical, hands-on competence is the only standard that prevents a tragedy."

What Care Managers Must Do by September 2027

The MHRA mandates that several sweeping actions must begin immediately and be fully completed across all care venues by 16th September 2027. Chief among these is Action 5, which explicitly requires care team members to receive role-appropriate practical training with regular updates. To remain compliant, your practical training must now explicitly cover:

• The "Pause-and-Check" Protocol: Team members must physically pause once initial sling tension is taken up—just as the resident is cleared from the surface—to verify that all sling clips, loops, and attachment points are seated correctly before completing the lift.
• Compatibility Verification: Ensuring care team members understand hoist-sling compatibility and know how to cross-reference local equipment approval registers.
• Identifying Unsafe States: Training colleagues to spot worn fabric, compromised stitching, or damaged carabiners before use, empowering them to immediately stop, isolate equipment, and escalate concerns.

Practical Competence, Not Just Paperwork

A generic manual handling certificate might satisfy a basic administrative audit, but does it genuinely equip your team members to identify a compromised clip or a degraded sling loop under pressure? Any hoist or sling displaying wear, fabric fraying, or damaged components must be immediately removed from service and clearly labeled DO NOT USE. Ensuring your care team executes these safety checks consistently requires face-to-face, hands-on instruction.