Flat slide sheets are the workhorse of manual handling in bed. Used in a pair, the two layers slide against each other so a carer can move a person up the bed, turn them or shift them sideways with a fraction of the effort, and without dragging skin across the mattress.
This pair is a large size, which gives enough coverage to work from shoulders to hips on most adults and leaves fabric to grip on both sides of the bed. Flat sheets also suit transfers between a bed and a trolley or a shower chair, where a tubular sheet is awkward.
They are inserted and removed for each use, not left under the person, which keeps the bed surface right for pressure care between moves. Carers need training in the technique, and the sheets should be laundered and checked for wear regularly.
