Hospitals
Buckinghamshire Healthcare
Find out more about how the team at Drive Medical has helped meet the critical and everyday bed needs of Buckinghamshire NHS Trust. Our work has involved everything from supply, through to staff training and support.
What was the identified challenge/need?
Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust (BHT) provide acute and community healthcare services to patients in Buckinghamshire and the surrounding areas. Operating from two acute hospitals, five community hospitals and other dedicated specialist facilities, as well as providing care in people's own homes to over half a million patients.
In 2021, BHT identified a need for a large- scale bed replacement programme for inpatient services. Following equipment reviews from multiple suppliers, Drive Medical was shortlisted in the top three, with the INNOV8 iQ with Split Side Rails ward beds selected as most suited to meeting the needs of the Trust, the patients and the staff.
In total 780 beds were supplied over 2021-22, starting with the smaller hospitals and finishing with the main Acute Hospital Stoke Mandeville.
Drive Medical Product and Care Solution(s)
Why Drive Medical INNOV8 IQ?
This bed was chosen for a number of reasons, and the ways in which it can comfortably meet the needs of both patients, medical and care staff. These include its manoeuvrability, increased patent comfort, easy access CPR levers and handy elements such as nightlights and catheter bag clips.
Key product information:
- Split side enables nurses to get closer to their patients, as well as being advantageous for mental healthcare services where they increase feelings of safety and security for patients.
- The INNOV8 iQ features a rapid action CPR function.
- Simultaneous operation of the cardiac chair and tilt functions combined with auto regression improves patient positioning, mobilisation and rehabilitation.
- With intelligent profiling and auto contour function, INNOV8 beds enable patients to sit up and reposition themselves at the press of a button, promoting comfort and autonomy.
- Night light on the patient handset reduces the need to have big overhead lights on for routine observations, or to check drains and catheters during the night to reduce disturbance to patients in a bay.
- Easy to use handset controls to provide patients with independence to re-position by adjusting the profile or height of the bed (if deemed appropriate following a clinical risk assessment.
- INNOV8 beds have four sections, for ultimate profiling and adjustability, helping with everything from Improved lung function and reduced cardiac workload, to reduced infection risk and muscle wastage.
Benefits to Clinical Staff
Workers in the health care industry, especially nursing staff, are known to be particularly susceptible to musculoskeletal injuries due to their patient handling tasks. Provision of high quality electric profiling beds (EPBs) has been widely reported to assist clinical staff with manual handling tasks and reduce the number and frequency of these tasks.
A study carried out at the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board,found a 62% reduction in the number of manual handling operations carried out per patient through the provision of EPBs5. The INNOV8 range of beds provide benefits to the clinical staff to assist their care duties.
Rental Solutions for Dynamic Mattresses
Since 2016 BHT have used Drive Medical’s rental solutions for their dynamic mattress systems provision, primarily using the Artemis Dynamic Mattress System and more recently the Artemis II Dynamic Mattress System.
Rental solutions allow us to ensure quick delivery with 24/7 support and no additional costs. All rental assets are inclusive of 24/7 service and repair needs, product decontamination, full product training and delivery and installation in the rental payment. With this service we promise one point of contact to arrange delivery, installation and collection of rental equipment, minimising hassle and admin for care staff.
About Mattress Selection
The Artemis II Dynamic Mattress Replacement System was chosen by BHT as it scored much higher in terms of patient and staff feedback compared with others.
- Cover wasn’t as slippery as other suppliers so patient migration was
- reduced in comparison.
- The patients (and staff) found it very comfortable to be on and it is quiet.
- Good training and aftersales, very comprehensive training plan.
- Compatibility of mattress and beds is excellent
- Cable management feature was like by the TVN as a good safety feature
Drive Medical Clinical Advisor
To further support BHT, Drive Medical also provides a dedicated Clinical Nurse Advisor onsite across the Trust one day a week. The Clinical Nurse Advisor onsite works alongside the clinical teams including the Manual Handling specialist and the Tissue
Viability Team to provide product training and assist with queries and evaluations. The Clinical Nurse Advisor provides training and education to help nursing staff prescribe the correct equipment in line with current local and national guidance. Additionally, the Clinical
Nurse Advisor supports the Trust with training and education on pressure ulcer assessment tools for the clinical staff across different wards.
Why choose Drive Medical?
Drive Medical has a rich history in specialist hospital products and accessories. From specialist beds, through to support aids and staff training, we have the expertise to meet even the most complex of needs; promoting comfort, safety and support every step of the way for both staff and patients.