According to RCOT, delays in providing community equipment are now a major factor in delayed discharge. 74% of equipment providers report discharge delays linked to unavailable equipment. NHS data says dealing with stairs is the first change required to the home and help with stairs is among the top three most common home adaptations(1).
At AAT GB, we are pioneering ways for OTs to take steps, address long waits and discharge delays resulting from inefficiencies in community equipment recycling/redistribution.
We were the first in the sector- and the only ones with national capability- to create a bespoke package to optimise recycling and redistribution of community equipment.
The result is our re-issue programme for our top-selling mobility stairclimber.
Class 1 Medical Device certified, our S-Max Sella stairclimbing wheelchair is battery-powered and completely portable.
It makes traversing stairs- and onward- safe and easy, without any need for disruptive equipment installation/fixing.
There is no disturbance to your client’s home environment, nor the family’s routine, dignity and privacy.
Our Sella stairclimbers are in almost all local authorities' community equipment inventory.
So our scheme means someone can be discharged from hospital, or their home environment made safe, quickly and cost-effectively: the package costs <£1500.
Under the scheme, we support OTs with an in-depth PEOP assessment of client, carer(s) and the home environment, service and set up the mobility stairclimbing wheelchair to the client’s requirements then personally train the care team in the equipment’s safe use.
Mark Roberts, AAT Director- “Re-issue of our Sella stairclimber means someone with reduced mobility is enabled to get home, or remain in their home, safely.
"The Director of Practice and Innovation at the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, Karin Orman, said: ‘Access to the right equipment is not a luxury, it’s essential for people to be safe in hospital and at home. Not having the right equipment can put people at serious risk of harm.'
“Our re-issue package spares that risk, and does so fast and cost-effectively, helping make the most of already stretched financial resources.”
Full details of our re-issue package and services for OTs can be found here: http://www.aatgb.com/ots/
Our offer centres around disabled children, supporting them and their families to remain safe in their existing home.
We can improve outcomes for the children and their families, and reduce spending- even as the child grows into adulthood.
For carers of a child with mobility issues, the usual scenario is that they carry them up and down stairs. As their child grows, or their condition(s) worsen, that scenario puts the child and their carers at risk, of falling down the stairs, and injury to one or all involved.
For children's social care teams, managing that risk usually involves a significant home adaptation, funded via the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG).
That takes time- assuming a suitable adaptation can be implemented.
Provision of our S-Max mobility stairclimbing wheelchair is a “quick fix”.
Most local authorities already have the Class 1 Medical Device so children's social care teams can prescribe quickly via our pioneering re-issue programme. There is no capital funding required.
Sella makes stairway navigation safe for child and carer(s).
The child can move around their home securely and comfortably.
Their carer operates and has complete control of the transfer process, making stair navigation safer for them too.
Being a portable unit, Sella carries the child from the stairway on to destination.
The child is protected from the risk of a transfer at the top of the stairs, as would be inherent with a more expensive installed stairlift.
The stairclimber evolves with the child over time when paired with our unique Universal Seat System.
The seat system incorporates adjustable lateral, hip and head supports.
“Providing a stairclimber where appropriate identifies the risk earlier and prevents a problem from needlessly escalating- key elements of the Independent Review of Childrens Social Care,” says Peter Wingrave, AAT Director.
“Such investment in family help also improves the child’s outcome and can reduce spending later on.
"we have numerous instances where our Sella has been provided as the short-term solution to manage risk, but the family has insisted on keeping it, even when a more long-term (and often more expensive) option is available!”
Detail of how the Sella stairclimbing wheelchair works, and AAT’s re-issue package, can be found at
www.aatgb.com/s-max-sella/ and at http://www.aatgb.com/ots/.
AAT has always been committed to putting client safety first.
It is why we don't rely on a set of printed instructions, or a training video, whenever we provide one of our market-leading stairclimbers (stairclimbing wheelchairs).
It is why we have an impeccable safety record, stretching back over 20 years.
One of our team personally visits to formally train users of its equipment.
We spend as long as is necessary with each user to ensure they understand the process and are comfortable using the stairclimber.
The personal training applies whether a new purchase, or a re-issue/re-prescription.
The “hands-on” approach means any questions or issues are instantly addressed. It optimises safety.
Indeed, we have refused to provide the stairclimber if we felt the user was not competent or comfortable, or the environment was unsuitable!
“We have a duty of care, and I believe a moral obligation, to everyone involved in the sales process, to ensure we have done everything within our power to make stairway access easy and safe- for the passenger and the stairclimber operator. It’s about doing the job right.
"Client safety is paramount. The fact that we have not had a single negligence claim throughout our 20-year history is testament to that commitments” says Peter Wingrave, AAT Director.
Our stairclimbers are battery-powered devices that help people with impairments safely and comfortably navigate stairs with the support of a carer.
They are the most popular choice of stairclimbing wheelchair throughout the UK, chosen by almost every local authority in the country.
Why choose a stairclimber from AAT
- No installation, no structural changes—just plug and play.
- Effortless stair navigation: AAT powered stairclimbers handle single steps or full flights with ease- even tight turns and spirals!
- Comfort and safety built in. Our stairclimbing wheelchair range prioritises comfort and safety for users and carers—at home and beyond. We have an impeccable safety record stretching back two decades.
- Support that goes the distance: our free no obligation assessment considers all aspects- home environment, user and ‘operator’. We personally set your stairclimbing wheelchair up for you and spend all the time you need to ensure you are comfortable using it. In the rare event it won’t work, we’ll say so.
- Reliable after care: our team of highly trained engineers can service it on site annually and speedily effect any issues in the rare event you have a problem.
Key features:
- Adjustable to each user
- Completely portable
- Range of accessories for optimum comfort and security
- Re-chargeable battery- each charge delivers up to 390 steps(1)
To find out more about our range of stairclimbers and to. book your free no obligation assessment, visit http://www.aatgb.com/mobility-stairclimbers/.
(1)https://www.rospa.com/campaigns-and-fundraising/current-campaigns/safer-stairs
S-Max stairclimber (http://www.aatgb.com/s-max/) can deliver safe stairway access within days (where relevant and suitable).
It works as a permanent solution or managing risk in the short term whilst funding for an alternative adaptation is arranged.
Battery-powered S-Max carries the disabled person up, down stairs safely and smoothly. The process is controlled by the carer
S-Max’s design and function means there is no installation/attachment to the building fabric.
S-Max can complete the stairway navigation and continue onward, eliminating transfer at the top or bottom of the flight.
Critically in these days of budget constraint and delay, when the S-Max is no longer needed by the original recipient, OTs can re-issue/ re-prescribe it to another.
Our re-issue- including a full PEOP assessment, servicing of the stairclimber, setting it up for the new user and training of their carer(s)- costs <£1500. It helps overcome the delay in panel funding decisions.
Peter Wingrave AAT Director explains:
“The latest data available shows more than two-thirds of Councils exceeded the required 12 months for DFG-funded adaptations.
Even equipment that only requires panel funding is taking longer than usual because of delays in the decision making process.
“Taking advantage of our unique re-issue facility means that risk is managed, quickly and cost-effectively.
“Councils are constantly being urged to think outside the box to address the continuing adaptation delay.
"The success of our re-issue programme is proving this re-prescription approach is a proven, best value way to achieve safe home access quickly.”
Full details of our re-issue are explained here: https://www.aatgb.com/ots/. or...
Re- issue explained:
One AAT stairclimber, numerous clients supported.
Because our stairclimbers are not fixed equipment, they can be easily re-prescribed (re-issued) to another client when the original recipient no longer needs it.
It means the risk of navigating stairs with reduced mobility is eliminated.
Whether a short-term answer whilst a larger, more permanent adaptation is delivered, or a long-term solution, your client’s home environment is made safe.
As part of the process, we support you in a full PEOP assessment (and if for whatever reason it’s not suitable, we’ll say so!). We service your existing stairclimber. We personally set it up for your client. We personally train their carer(s)1.
All for <£15002
Best value achieved: with the average AAT stairclimber having a 12 year lifespan, the total cost including the initial purchase and re-issue to on average 3 different people works out at <£800/year3. Stairs made safe for multiple clients.
No delay.
No “making good” inherent with alternative stair transfer solutions.
The Government's new Healthcare Plan aims to transition services from hospital to community and prevent illness rather than treat it.
We are uniquely positioned. Our equipment- the top-selling stairclimbing wheelchair S-Max Sella- is already in almost every local authority social care department and NHS Trust across the UK.
One of the primary causes for delay in hospital discharge is appropriate social care for patients, be it short- or long-term. According to NHS data, modifications to stairs is the first change required to a home.
Mobility is the biggest limitation affecting people in their homes(2). There are 1m+ accidents on stairs every year(3), resulting in 43,000+ hospitalisations(4).
Our S-Max Sella makes stairs safe for almost anyone with impaired mobility, with the help of a carer.
The battery-powered stairclimbing wheelchair is “plug and play”. It requires no structural alteration nor installation. It can cope with almost every common staircase design, even turns and spirals!
Sella reduces risk and manual handling. It can traverse onwards from the flight of stairs into whichever room is the final destination. It can even navigate external steps.
Our unique re-issue capability for the Sella further delivers value. When the original recipient no longer needs the equipment, it can be re-prescribed to another person.
We assess each potential recipient, their carer and their home environment. We personally train the carer(s) in the Sella’s safe operation as part of the process.
No other stair solution has that capability.
“Making stairs safe is one of the biggest obstacles to all involved in social care- be it effecting efficient hospital discharge or preventing hospital admission in the first place,” says Peter Wingrave, AAT Director.
“We ar perfectly positioned to be the first call in addressing this. We have presence within social care equipment stores, a nationwide team and speed of resolution. All it takes is a telephone call…”
Full details of AAT’s S-Max Sella and its re-issue can be found @ https://www.aatgb.com/ots/ or call 01327 340083.
REFERENCES:
(2) https://www.statista.com/statistics/449279/disability-prevalence-impairment-united-kingdom-uk/
(3) https://bregroup.com/press-releases/bre-report-finds-poor-housing-is-costing-nhs-1-4bn-a-year/
(4) https://www.rospa.com/campaigns-and-fundraising/current-campaigns/safer-stairs
The Council's achieved a green alternative to social care by allocating AAT’s Sella stairclimbers (stairclimbing wheelchairs), where appropriate, to clients needing help with stairs.
The Department used grant funding from the Council’s Green Investment Fund to purchase four Sella’s to provide an alternative to major adaptations that reduces the carbon impact of building.
In this way it has achieved a green alternative in social care provision.
Stairclimbers are mobile, portable devices- unlike conventional stair solutions such as stairlifts or through-floor lifts which require structural surveys, installation and building works. No building work is required.
The Department can re-issue-re-cycle the Class 1 Medical Device to another person when the original recipient no longer equires it. There are no building works to ‘make good’. The equipment's green credentials- and best value capital outlay- are enhanced.
To further extend the capability of the stairclimbers, the Department has also bought three of our unique Universal Seating System.
The Seating System combines back, seat, lateral and foot supports with safety harness. It ensures each user is completely supported and safe when being transferred up and down stairs.
Sarah Hole, Children’s Senior Practitioner Occupational Therapist for the Integrated Community Equipment Loan Service Clinical Team Nottinghamshire and Nottingham City Partnership, says:
“We historically have purchased AAT stairclimbers for use, where appropriate, with children and adults who have impaired mobility. The fact that they can be deployed quickly, with none of the impact of building work, makes them a useful alternative to major adaptations. It especially helps as budgets are under pressure and there is a drive to become carbon net zero.”
Dr Cate Bennett, Principal Occupational Therapist, Adult Social Care and Health at Nottinghamshire County Council, adds:
“The Principal Occupational Therapy role focuses on leading the quality assurance of occupational therapy practice, service development and improvement. It has a strategic and operational focus, and covers work within our organisation, and externally where it furthers the development of social care and occupational therapy.”
Mobilty is the biggest disability in the UK(2). Stairs are the second most common hazard in the home(3, and one of the three most common adaptations.
Our stairclimber re-issue capability(1) is unique in the inter-floor transfer sector, and is rapidly gaining momentum among local authorities nationwide as a cost-effective and quick way to keep people safe and in their own homes by managing the risk of stairs.
REFERENCES:
(1)https://www.aatgb.com/taking-steps-to-reduce-adaptation-delay-for-650-recycle/
(2)https://www.statista.com/statistics/449279/disability-prevalence-impairment-united-kingdom-uk/
(3)https://bregroup.com/press-releases/bre-report-finds-poor-housing-is-costing-nhs-1-4bn-a-year/
The 17 year-old has complex disabilities, including seizures and being non-verbal. Her parents Melissa and Darren themselves have health issues.
They were finding it a risk getting Rhianna up and down stairs.
But the design and size of their house meant it was not viable to use the conventional solutions- a stairlift or through-floor lift.
Rhianna’s Occupational Therapist at Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust found out about AAT’s Sella stairclimber. She reached out to us for assessment support.
Our Sella worked!
See how the Sella stairclimbing wheelchair works here: http://www.aat.com/s-max-sella/
In Medequip’s stores for Kirklees’ Council, a Sella stairclimber was available. Some of the accessories needed to ensure Rhianna was sat secure and properly supported as she needed were also there.
As a result, using the re-issue capability of the stairclimber, Rhianna’s carers can now transfer her up and down the stairs without risk to her or themselves.
Melissa and Darren can safely pause the stairclimbing process should Rhianna have a seizure en route.
Our re-issue facility for stairclimbers is unique within the sector.
Our re-issue means that- where appropriate- necessary, reasonable and practical changes can be made to make stairs safe for someone with reduced mobility, for <£1000/ £650 pa(1).
There are no structural alterations nor permanent restriction of the stairs for other members of the household.
You can find out more about our re-issue opportunity here: https://www.aatgb.com/taking-steps-to-reduce-adaptation-delay-for-650-recycle/
Mum Melissa says:
“It’s been a real life saver! Rhianna’s face shows that she enjoys it, and it’s made the world of difference to us all.
“It was a bit scarey to start with at the top of the stairs, but AAT trained us fully in how to use the stairclimber safely.
"If Rhianna has a seizure, we just stop until it’s passed and we can resume.”
Adds our Gareth Brown ,
“Rhianna requires significant support to sit. We had most of the accessories she needed in stores @ Kirklees, so there was only need to purchase a couple of small additions.
"Her access to all levels of the family home has been made safe, including assessment, equipment and training, for around £1000- a fraction of the cost of other solutions, had they been viable.”
(1)Sella purchase price £4650, re-issue x 3 @ £995/ re-issue= £2985/12 years (lifespan of. Sella) = £636/annum.
The core re-issue package (£995/re-issue) includes client assessment and full training of two carers.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Where relevant, changing the mindset from providing a person to providing equipment that does not need Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) funding could radically reduce the number of people waiting for care support. It could cut the cost of care.
With the continuing lack of staff, people in need are left struggling to live daily life with any degree of quality.
As importantly, the staff themselves are exposed to greater risk as their workload increases.
Unpaid carers too are being put at risk by having to manage without support.
By using the right equipment- where relevant- to reduce the reliance on carers-paid and unpaid- mean that clients would be more independent and have a better quality of life.
Strain would also be reduced on the care workforce, enabling them to deliver better quality of care for those instances where kit is not appropriate.
Using equipment would reduce the risk of unpaid carers injuring themselves lifting, moving, handling. These actions put further strain on the paid care workforce who have to step into the breach.
And it needs to be the right equipment- that achieves the end purpose for the client, safely, and that can be expediated without delay.
Says Peter Wingrave, AAT Director:
“There is a mindset within social care that if someone is struggling with stairs, then you put in a stairlift (or a through-floor lift). Yet that requires DFG funding, which takes months, years to fulfil.
"Inbetweentimes, the client is left with a compromised living space and little or no privacy if a bed has been moved downstairs- assuming that can be done- or their access to areas of their home- bedroom, WC etc- is wholly dependant on the availability of a carer- paid or unpaid- to help. It also puts that care giver at risk.
"“Most local authority equipment stores have at least one stairclimber, that can be delivered to the client, and their caregivers trained on its safe operation, within days.
"Thus the risk to all parties is minimised, fast and cost-effectively. The need to provide paid care is reduced/eliminated.
"As an added bonus, when that client no longer needs it, the stairclimber can be re-prescribed (recycled) to another, achieving best value and best use of resources from every relevant perspective.”
Our mobility stairclimber is battery-powered devices that help people with impairments safely and comfortably navigate stairs with the support of a carer.
Unlike alternative equipment that is fixed to the structure of the home, our stairclimber is portable. So, when no longer needed by the original recipient, someone else can use it.
We offer a free, no obligation assessment service to determine the relevance of its kit for each potential client, including their care-giver and staircase.
We have an unrivalled safety record for its equipment, stretching back over 20 years, with thousands in regular use up and down the country.
Full details are available on our website www.aatgb.com/sella.
Falls and manual handling are among the most common personal injury claims lodged against Councils(2), the bill for which now tops £100m(3).
Minimising risk is therefore a growing priority.
Thus, AAT has developed its recycling (re-issue) package, whereby its stairclimbers already purchased by the Local Authority can be re-allocated and in use within a matter of days.
That the stairclimber can be collected from stores or the previous user and taken direct to the new potential client.
This removes the delay of arranging for the client to travel to a demonstration site for a stairlift or similar device, further accelerates the speed with which the risk is managed.
No other stairway access system can be delivered so cost-effectively, so fast, AAT believes.
AAT’s recycling scheme can be utilised by almost every Local Authority in the UK, as almost all have kit in stock among in its equipment.
“With budgets under so much pressure, every opportunity to make every £ work as hard as possible must be taken,” says Peter Wingrave, AAT Director.
“It’s not just about the money. It is about quality of life- and safety- for the vast number of client awaiting adaptations to their homes.
"It is about supporting OTs and adaptations teams to effect a solution- whether short or long-term- quickly. It is about helping their- and their clients’- mental health & wellbeing.”
Leeds City Council is one Authority already making use of AAT’s recycling scheme, to the extent AAT manages the Councils’ stairclimber stock too.
Says Leeds City Council Occupational Therapy Team Manager Jane Fisher: “Funds and time are under pressure now more than ever. This means we can quickly empower clients to still be able to access all levels of their home, with the peace of mind that the right kit is being supplied, maintained and serviced, and in full working order.”
Full details of AAT’s re-issue facility can be found here:
https://www.aatgb.com/taking-steps-to-reduce-adaptation-delay-for-650-recycle/.
ENDS
References:
(1)https://bregroup.com/press-releases/bre-report-finds-poor-housing-is-costing-nhs-1-4bn-a-year/
(2)https://www.legalexpert.co.uk/top-10-councils-personal-injury-compensation/
(3)https://www.taxpayersalliance.com/bill_for_council_compensation_payments_tops_100_million
The NHS Confederation report Unlocking Prevention in Integrated Care Systems(1) highlights the burden of proving for value for money and return on investment (ROI). Where reduced mobility and risk of falls are issues, there is a proven solution.
A solution that can help reduce the 43,000 patients hospitalised as a result of falls on stairs each year (RoSPA).
AAT GB, the #1 in stairclimbing wheelchairs, says its unique re-issue capability delivers guaranteed ROI- 12 years of patient care & support for less than the cost of 2 standard hospital bed days/year(2).
Its market-leading position means it has the sheer number of stairclimbers available to NHS Trusts and local authorities to efficiently effect re-issue, whereby when one patient no longer needs the equipment, it can be re-prescribed to another.
Importantly, the process takes days, as opposed to the weeks, months of alternative stairway access/inter-floor options. The portable, mobile S-Max Sella requires no structural survey nor installation. It can be funded via conventional equipment channels without the need for Disabled Facilities Grant application.
The speed with which the intervention can be deployed also means the risk of falling on steps or stairs is efficiently managed, fulfilling the shift towards prevention and community based integrated care.
To further facilitate ROI, AAT offers a complete support package covering patient assessment, re-issue, and stock management.
“Optimisation of the stairclimber stock within the care services clearly demonstrates value for money and effective return on investment,” says Peter Wingrave AAT Director. “Importantly, we have a 20+ years’ track record of effecting safe stairway transfer and are increasingly becoming the front line option to prevent falls on stairs and potential hospital admission. Our stairclimbers also help people remain in their homes, without the need for either moving into a care home, the provision of home care to support inter-level movement, the cost and disruption to daily life of a more permanent fixture or adaptation, or moving home.”
Details of the S-Max and AAT’s service can be found @ www.aatgb.com.
ENDS
References:
(1)https://www.nhsconfed.org/system/files/2024-10/Unlocking-prevention-in-ICSs-Report_0.pdf
(2)capital cost of an S-Max Sella including re-issue to three patients over lifespan of 12 years = £637 pa. Cost/hospital bed/day £345:
(3)(https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-03-14/165361)
