Why is early mobilisation important?

For hospitalised patients, long periods of immobility increase the risk of:

• Respiratory complications such as pneumonia, atelectasis and pulmonary embolism
• Constipation
• Incontinence
• Tissue damage and pressure ulcers
• Blood clots in the legs (deep vein thrombosis)
• Reduced muscle mass and -strength
• Reduced physical fitness
• Diminished balance, especially among elderly patients

It is therefore extremely important to mobilise patients as early as possible – ideally during the period of hospitalisation.

Early mobilisation will enable patients to commence rehabilitation sooner, which will improve convalescence after an operation by boosting blood circulation and reducing the risk of infection and other complications.

Benefits of ceiling hoists and the positioning lock system

A  transfer using a ceiling hoist is proven to save a up to a minute per transfer. Multiply this by the two carers involved, that is two minutes, if a patient is being transferred from bed to chair and back three times a day, that is two minutes six times a day, 12 minutes, If there are 10 patients being hoisted, that is a total saving of 120 minutes per day – 2 HOURS!!

This is before we factor in the positioning lock. By locking the hoist in place over the bed we can set up simple physiotherapy exercises for our patients. Instead of a physiotherapist having to hoist a patient out of bed, take them to the gym, work with them, take them back and hoist them back into bed, many exercises can now be set up on the bed. The physiotherapist can work with other patients whilst this is being done.

So now in addition to saving our nursing staff time, we are also saving our physiotherapists considerable amounts of time – a double bonus. Additionally due to the extra therapy, our patient will be ready for discharge earlier.

The numbers

An average bed costs the NHS £400 per day. Using the example of our 10 hoisted patients, if the average patient is in hospital for 8 weeks each bed sees 6.5 patients per year. If we can decrease each patients stay by just one day, in total we save 65 days for all the patients in one year! Multiply this by £400 per day and your total saving is £26,000. If you put in 10 ceiling hoists at £4,000 each, in 1.5 years you have paid for your equipment. And this is before we calculate the savings on staff time.

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For further information don’t hesitate to contact us on 0800 298 6000 or email [email protected]

LOLER Inspections – Keeping Staff and Patients Safe

Keeping staff and patients, students or residents safe is always a constant concern in care environments. Ensuring that servicing and LOLER inspections are kept up to date minimises any potential safety risks and also reduces the chance of any unwanted breakdowns. Having the correct certificates for the equipment gives peace of mind to any organisation should their be any inspections from government regulatory bodies to the location.

What are LOLER regulations?

LOLER regulations (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Requirements, 1998) aim to ensure that all lifting equipment and lifting accessories in the workplace are used in a safe and appropriate manner.

The regulations state that all lifting equipment should have suitable strength and stability for its designed use. LOLER also states that the Safe Working Load (SWL) and maintenance dates must be clearly visible on the equipment and any faults are reported immediately.

LOLER is implemented to prevent the risk of injuries or fatalities which may occur from the use of lifting equipment within the care environment.

Thorough LOLER tests should be conducted at least every 6 months on all lifting equipment and any accessories used to lift persons. Accessories covers items such as slings, which are necessary to complete the lift. It is advised that daily routine checks are carried out before any lifting equipment is used. Any faults or defects should be reported immediately and the equipment should not be used until a specialist has conducted a thorough inspection.

Further information as to hoisting can be found following these links:    http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/hsis4.pdf      http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/hsis3.pdf  

Who does LOLER regulations apply to?

Persons who have responsibility, either directly or indirectly, for the patient/student lifting equipment and it’s use.

This includes Employers who have responsibility for the health and safety of their staff as well as the condition of the equipment that they use.

Employees may have specific responsibility for the equipment that they use. They also have a responsibility to use the equipment safely and also to report anything that they perceive to be a risk.
The self employed also have responsibilities for themselves and for others depending on the nature of their role

What equipment requires LOLER inspections?

Here are some examples of lifting equipment which requires testing under LOLER regulations.

• Mobile hoists
• Ceiling hoists
• Standing/raising aids
• Slings (lifting accessory)
• Bath hoists/lifts (Known as ‘floor mounted hoists’ which are used to lift and lower a person into their bath)
• Passenger lifts
• Stair lifts

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Contact our service department today for further information on 0800 298 6000 or email [email protected]

We can help you comply with LOLER and PUWER regulations.

The importance of Changing Places

Over a quarter of a million severely disabled people in the UK, including those with profound and multiple learning disabilities, don’t have access to public toilet facilities that meet their needs. As a result, these people can’t participate in the day-to-day activities that so many of us take for granted.

Standard accessible (’disabled’) toilets don’t provide changing benches or hoists, and most are too small to accommodate more than one person.

Without Changing Places toilets, severely disabled persons are put at risk. Families or carers are forced to change them on toilet floors, in the back of their car, or a number of other places that are equally unhygienic and undignified. This puts the individual and the person administering the care at risk.

Don’t miss out on opportunities

Some amazing figures released by VisitEngland showed that 83% of disabled people made a conscious decision not to visit an unwelcoming or inaccessible organisation — particularly those with no suitable, clean toilet facilities.

Organisations that have a Changing Places toilet are capitalising on missed revenue from those that don’t and according to case studies that is quite a large amount of money!

Changing places facilities provide opportunities for the disabled persons in our society and the revenue generated for organisations that invest in them is significant.

Cash in on the purple pound

According to Government research the money that households with a disabled person spend is estimated to be worth £212 billion.

This figure is known as the ‘purple pound’ and relates to all the disabled people in the UK.

Whilst many of these people can use a standard accessible (’disabled’) toilet, there’s still a huge number of profoundly disabled people whose families are having to carefully plan any day out, because so few organisations and attractions cater for their needs.

Planning a Changing Places toilet? – Contact us today

Any questions don’t hesitate to call us on 0800 298 6000 or drop us a line to [email protected]

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Changing Places – Making a difference for disabled people

It could soon be made compulsory for new public buildings, such as shopping centres and stadiums, to install Changing Places facilities if the government goes ahead with proposals which could include a change to building regulations.

The government will consult early this year as to how to best to ensure that Changing Places are included as standard in public buildings.

Minister for Care, Caroline Dinenage, said: “It is utterly shocking how few Changing Places toilets there are currently in NHS hospitals and other public spaces.”

Interestingly the Department of Health and Social Care has also pledged £2m to install over 100 Changing Places toilets in NHS hospitals throughout England. This is a great step towards making a big difference to the lives of disabled people and their carers.

Importance of Changing Places

Standard accessible toilets (or “disabled toilets”) do not provide changing benches or hoists and most are too small to accommodate more than one person. Without Changing Places toilets, the person with disabilities is put at risk, and families or carers are forced to risk their own health and safety by changing their loved one on a toilet floor. This is dangerous, unhygienic and undignified.

A quarter of a million disabled people need a Changing Places to enable them to get out and enjoy day-to-day activities, investment in these facilities will mean many more of them can access a toilet safely and comfortably.

Whilst this is something most of us take for granted, access to the facilities that they require makes a huge difference for disabled people and their carers.

We should be seeing Changing Places toilets installed in the following types of venues:

• City centres
• Shopping centres
• Arts venues
• Hospitals
• Transport hubs like train stations, airports and motorway service stations
• Leisure complexes
• Sporting stadiums
• Arenas

Planning a Changing Places toilet? – Contact us today

Contact us today for further information on 0800 298 6000 or email [email protected]

Successful ceiling hoist servicing and maintenance

We are all well aware of the risks that are associated with student moving and handling procedures. Ensuring that any equipment, for such procedures, is fully serviced, maintained and inspected for safe use is of all importance. Student/Resident and carer staff safety is critical during moving and handling procedures, accidents can result in injuries or even worse still fatalities.

Here in this blog we mention some of the things that you may want to bear in mind when looking into servicing and maintenance programs for the equipment on your site.

What should a good service program include?

A good service program should include as a minimum a full service to the manufacturers specification. Remember that there are no legal qualifications required to carry out a service or a LOLER inspection, it simply has to be a ‘competent person’ All reputable manufacturers will carry out servicing training, so prior to signing a servicing contract, check that the providers and their staff have all had manufacturer’s training in the equipment that you have on site.

As stated above lifting equipment used for lifting person should be inspected at intervals no less than 6 months. Again this has to be done by a ‘competent person’. The manufacturers service will often include all of the points that are covered in the LOLER inspection, however ensure that a LOLER inspection is included as part of the service.

Following the service/LOLER inspection, you should receive a report of inspection. This is a legal document, that should state the type of inspection, results of the inspection and any recommendations for further work. These can be emailed or delivered via post – it is important that you act on the recommendations and keep the paperwork in a safe place for inspection purposes. If you are embracing the digital age, many providers will also provide an online portal for you to access you documents and certificates  at any time that is convenient to you.

Any report should include recommendations for further work with identification of parts needed to be replaced and justification. Again with the advances in modern technology this can be backed up by photos as evidence.

Importance of routine servicing

A well planned routine servicing will actively prevent breakdowns, by assessing the condition and wear of essential components prior to them failing. By doing so and, replacing components prior to them failing, the inconvenience and risks of a breakdown are reduced.

Whilst everyday checks are important, a thorough service to the manufacturers specification will examine components that are located within the equipment, not normally visible. It is essential that this is carried out to detect wear and tear on moving parts.

Nobody wants an emergency situation in their establishment – this can lead to unsettling the staff and the users, and possibly an incident which may have to be reported. A pro-active servicing program will ensure that emergency incidents are avoided, leading to greater confidence and increased usage by your staff.

Peace of mind

Our engineers are fully trained in the servicing and maintenance of all types of equipment, helping you to consolidate suppliers and reduce costs, and your staff and users feel safe.  All servicing and service contracts can be tailored to your needs.

Some examples of equipment that we service include: Mobile hoists, Wheelchairs, Ceiling hoists, Bath hoists, Pool hoists, Slings, Adjustable Baths, Specialist seating, Profiling beds, Shower trolleys, Medical scales etc

Servicing made easy – Contact us today

For further information call us today on 0800 298 6000 or email [email protected]