Local Councils and NHS Trusts are finding the number of, and wait time for, adaptations continues to grow. Stairs are the second most common hazard in the home(1) and one of the major barriers to both keeping people safe and home, and discharging them from hospital.
AAT has a solution: its Universal Seat System and brand-leading S-Max Sella stairclimber.
The combination means healthcare professionals can optimise use of budgets- usually without even requiring DFG funding- to deliver a safe stairway transfer solution within days. They do it by recycling (re-issuing) the equipment.
Because the equipment is not fixed to the structure of the home, it is easy to re-prescribe from one recipient to another.
The addition of the Universal Seat System means the Sella can be easily set up to ensure almost every potential user is safe and supported when using the Sella, irrespective of their physical and/or mental impairment.
It is achieved without the need to purchase extra accessories. No other stairway transfer system offers such flexibility.
And AAT will also support the assessment process, to ensure the relevance of the solution for the person, the occupation and the environment, and personally train the carer in the Sella’s safe operation.
Says Peter Wingrave, AAT Director:
“We have numerous examples of community equipment services (eg Nottinghamshire & Nottingham City) now buying not just additional Sella stairclimbers, but Universal Seat Systems, to have in equipment stores ready to go, so they can quickly deliver a solution for a client.
"It means local Councils and NHS Trusts can keep people safe at home. They can be discharged from hospital.
“Even if it is a short-term solution whilst a larger and/or more permanent adaptation is undertaken, our Sella/Universal Seat System and re-issue capability gives a highly cost-effective and fast way to manage the potential risk of someone falling on the stairs: a genuine adaptation without delay.”
Full details of the Sella and Universal Seat System can be found @ http://www.aatgb.com/s-max-sella/
where healthcare professionals can also book a free, no obligation client assessment or team demonstration session.
Reference:
(1)https://bregroup.com/press-releases/bre-report-finds-poor-housing-is-costing-nhs-1-4bn-a-year/
The Government’s NHS reset drive to address NHS waiting lists means more has to be done to resolve bed-blocking which now represents the bed capacity of 26 hospitals, a study reveals(1).
According to NHS data(2), dealing with stairs at home is the primary cause of delay in hospital discharge.
We've already put in place an innovative strategy to facilitate a solution: our stairclimber re-issue capability provides a safe and cost-efficient answer, that can be achieved within a matter of days.
When the original recipient no longer needs the stairclimber, it can be re-allocated to someone else, subject to appropriate assessment.
Because the stairclimber is free-standing and portable, there is none of the delay inherent with alternative stairway access methods, which require structural surveys, installation etc.
We are the UK’s largest supplier of stairclimbers to the NHS and local authorities, with thousands of units already ‘on the books’ within the health and social care sector.
And we have developed a unique Universal Seating System that ensures almost every user- young or old- can be safely and corrected supported when using the stairclimber without the need to purchase additional accessories.
Thus we're the only company currently capable of expediting such a rapid best value solution.
“We welcome the Government’s commitment to resolving hospital waiting lists,” says Peter Wingrave AAT Director.
“But it is obvious that, in order to get more people through the hospital system, beds need to be freed up. Anything that can be done to support that surely must be given serious consideration.”
Full details of our re-issue package can be found here:
https://www.aatgb.com/take-steps-to-deliver-adaptations-for-under-650/ .
References:
(2)https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/social-care-and-support-guide/care-services-equipment-and-care-homes/home-adaptations/
The good practice guidance recommends that as soon as possible after admission, the care boards consider the home environment so any issues can be addressed in advance of the patient’s return.
Any intervention needs to be timely, safe and person-centred. Latest data shows that waiting for community equipment/adaptation to the home is often the reason why people are still in hospital(1).
Utilising AAT’s package, the board can effect a proven, safe means of making the home accessible to the patient when reduced mobility is influencing their discharge.
There is no need to re-organise current living arrangements/furniture nor install any fixtures.
When the patient no longer needs the S-Max stairclimber (stairclimbing wheelchair), AAT will take it back, service it, then re-issue to the next patient who needs help with stairs even if just for a few weeks(2).
Risk management and best value are achieved.
“It’s a win:win option,” says AAT Director Peter Wingrave. “We can visit the patient’s home, assess and train their care supporters and set up the S-Max Sella to the patient’s specific needs within days of being instructed. The S-Max is portable and compact, and battery operated. So there’s no disruption to the home, and it folds away when not is use. When no longer needed, we’ll collect it, service it, and re-issue to the next person who needs mobility support around their home to enable their discharge.
“Because our team is fully trained in assessment our re-issue package takes the pressure off the teams involved in community rehabilitation and almost eliminates the inherent delays arising from funding streams (eg DFG).”
Class 1 Medical Device certified, AAT’s S-Max Sella stairclimber (stairclimbing wheelchair) delivers on all the key aspects of a therapy-led intervention.
In the 20 years it has been prescribed in the health and care sector, it has proven its relevance in 90+% of cases, enabling the recipient to be safely moved up, down stairs and onwards.
The unit can be adjusted to suit each person: even the most petite carer can safely use it, even with a bariatric passenger.
Fitted with AAT’s unique Universal Seating System, the Sella can be set up to achieve the security and support each individual needs, from child to elderly dementia sufferer.
Full details of the discharge service can eb found on AATs website- https://www.aatgb.com/ots/.
References:
(1) https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/discharge-delays-acute-data/
(2)subject to terms and conditions, and assessment of the home and users.
Latest data(1) shows a 57% increase in beds occupied by patients who were medically fit for discharge- some 13,000 beds, equating to £5.2million/night(2)!
Where their mobility is a factor in discharge delay, use of re-allocatable equipment such as an S-Max stairclimber (stair climbing wheelchair) could be the answer(3).
The unit safely transfers someone up, down stairs- and beyond, without any need for structural surveys, installation.
It means the patient can access the bedroom, bathroom, toilet safely without any disruption, alteration, impediment to daily household life. S-Max has a proven and unrivalled safety record, stretching back 20+ years, with thousands now in daily use.
Our S-Max can be quickly re-allocated/recycled/re-prescribed/re-issued to someone else in need. This avoids the delay inherent in funding application, installation. All that is needed is an hour or so to train the care giver(s) in its safe operation (to LOLER requirements).
In this way, several patients can be supported and their discharge achieved quickly from just one piece of equipment- and for £1000/person or less!(4).
Most local authorities already have at least one on their books.
All that is required is a realisation by healthcare teams of the role S-Max can play in hospital discharge where patient mobility is a limiting factor, beyond its perception as part of a home adaptation.
Further details of S-Max, including how it works videos and booking of a free, no obligation assessment can be found here: https://www.aatgb.com/s-max/.
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