Capital Purchase of Low Hospital Beds In A Mental Health Setting

Background and overview

Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust provides mental health, learning disability and community health services to the people of Coventry. They also provide mental health and learning disability services in Warwickshire and Solihull; and a range of specialist health services to people across the West Midlands and the rest of the UK. 

Operating out of approximately 50 sites, they provide inpatient, community and day clinics, as well as specialist services, to a population of about 1 million. Their inpatient mental health services are delivered from a number of sites including: the Caludon Centre in Coventry; St Michael’s Hospital in Warwick; and the Manor site in Nuneaton. They were also one of only seven mental health trusts that were named by NHS England and formed a part of the Global Digital Exemplar programme, with the aim of transforming patient care through new technologies.

Capital purchase of hospital beds.

In 2022 Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust identified a need for a large-scale bed replacement programme for its mental health inpatient services. Following equipment reviews from multiple suppliers the INNOV8 Low ward beds were selected as best meeting the patient needs due to the robust and durable frames of these UK manufactured beds, and with a low platform height of just 22.5cm benefitting those patients most at risk of falls.

Other features of the INNOV8 Low bed that were highlighted for meeting the specific needs of both the staff and
patients were; 

• Cantilever side rails - These were noted as being “ideal” as they ensure that staff have excellent visibility
  of the patients, rather than a solid split side rail which limited the visibility. Additionally, from a patients perspective, the feedback was solid split side rails created a “trapped-in” feeling, and the cantilever side rails offered with the INNOV8 Low improved patients comfort and they felt secure, without feeling trapped.
• Head and Footboards – At the time of the extensive product evaluation, the head and footboards on the INNOV8
  Low increased patient visibility in comparison to other manufacturers bed offering, as these were noted as featuring very high boards limiting visibility of the patient when in bed.
• Aesthetics – A nice looking bed that fit perfectly into a clinical healthcare environment.
• Accessories – padding for the cantilever side rails are also available and compatible with the INNOV8 Low
  providing additional safety and comfort for patients.

Key benefits

Enhanced patient care
Coventry and Warwickshire’s multi-disciplinary team cares for a wide range of patients and provides extensive mental health
care and inpatient services including;

• Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit
• Male and Female Treatment Mental Health Inpatient Services
• Age Independent Male Treatment Ward
• Age Independent Female Treatment Ward
• Age Independent Psychiatric Physical Complexity Ward
• Inpatient Rehabilitation Service

It is important that the equipment selection meets the needs of the patient cohort and supports their comfort and physical
wellbeing.

The INNOV8 Low electric profiling beds provide many benefits for patient care at Coventry and Warwickshire;

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, the INNOV8 range of beds enable patients at the press of a button to easily sit up and reposition themselves, promoting comfort and autonomy.

INNOV8 Low bed features an exceptionally low minimum platform height of just 22.5cm to reduce the risk of injury from falls for at risk patients.

About the INNOV8

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)

Robust and durable beds that are easy to clean and manoeuvre.

INNOV8 Low cantilever side rails provide additional security for those at risk of falls, and lower to below the level of the mattress to help patients get in and out of bed more easily.

The INNOV8 beds comprise of four sections, for ultimate profiling and adjustability. Four section profiling beds have a number of additional benefits for patients which can also reduce other potential complications of immobility; and have a beneficial effect on major body systems;

• Improved lung function
• Earlier upright positioning and mobilisation helps reduce the risk of pressure ulcer development
• Reduced cardiac workload and improved cardiac output
• Improved urinary drainage and reduced infection risk
• Improved gut mobility and nutrient absorption
• Reduced muscle wastage, while maintaining joint flexibility

The INNOV8 Low beds were also chosen by Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust as being the most suitable to meet the varying needs of inpatients in a mental health care setting. Beds must be robust, anti-ligature, prevent opportunities for concealment and meet infection control requirements, while being as domestic in style as possible and not offering opportunities for easy lifting or breakage.

Key benefits:

Clinical staff benefits

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 EPBs. 

The INNOV8 range of beds provides benefits to the clinical staff to assist their care duties;

• The intelligent profiling of the INNOV8 range of beds enables the backrest and knee brake to operate in harmony, assisting staff with repositioning of patients, and reducing manual handling tasks.
• Staff spend less time repositioning patients, allowing them to move quickly on to other tasks.
• The bed height can be easily adjusted to ensure a safe nursing height for staff to ensure that a carers posture is closer to neutral whilst carrying out care and nursing procedures.
• Greater visibility of the patients due to the lower head and footboards of the INNOV8 Low bed, ensuring staff can closely monitor patients more effectively.