Effective lifting and moving – Improving the working environment

A ceiling-mounted hoist system is often the ideal and most effective way to lift and move people. Moving with a ceiling track hoist normally only requires one member of staff, thus freeing up others for other tasks. It is always available, with no pushing of hoists around the floor, quicker, more comfortable and less stressful for users and carers. These are huge benefits when staff costs are high, time is money and back injury the greatest cause of staff absences! With a clear floor area there is less risk of accidents, aesthetics are improved and care efficiency transformed.

The use of ceiling hoists reduces the amount of strain, over-exertion and injuries – and this means less sick leave and greater work satisfaction for carers or nurses.

Guldmann lifting modules are designed for heavy lifting with capacities of 175–500 kg. They are effortless to operate and provide exceptional freedom of movement. In most cases, this means a single carer or nurse is able to carry out day-to-day lifting and moving tasks without assistance, freeing up more time to care for the individual user.

Great benefits of quality ceiling hoists

• Efficiency – Always ready for use
• Comfort – Runs effortlessly and silently with gentle, gradual start and stop
• Safety – Simple, intuitive operation, emergency stop and emergency lowering
• Ergonomics – Space for good posture, freedom of movement and ergonomically sound operation
• Speed – More time for care

Multiple uses

Combined with products from the comprehensive Guldmann range of lifting hangers and slings, the GH3 is the ideal choice for many different lifting and moving procedures, and can also be used to assist with other care tasks, mobilisation exercises, training and rehabilitation programmes.

Even more, with it’s unique constant charge system, your staff never need to remember to put it on charge!

Contact us today

For further information on our ceiling hoist systems call us on 0800 298 6000 or email [email protected]

Importance of routine servicing

The well planned routine servicing and preventive maintenance of moving and handling equipment is essential to reduce the chance of failure, breakdowns and potential accidents.

Assessing the condition and wear of essential components before they fail reduces the risk of breakdowns. Breakdowns are always inconvenient, expensive and are best avoided!

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

Avoid emergencies

Nobody wants an emergency situation in their establishment. Such situations can lead to an unsettling of 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 for your staff, patients and insurers.

Compliance

By law any lifting equipment must be inspected in accordance with the LOLER regulations (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations) . These regular inspections and maintenance must be carried out by a competent person, in order to meet these regulations.

Peace of mind

We are all well aware of the risks that are associated with moving and handling procedures. Ensuring that any equipment, for such procedures, is fully serviced, maintained and inspected for safe use is of all importance.

Our engineers are fully trained in the servicing and maintenance of all types of equipment. This helps you to consolidate suppliers, reduce costs, and your staff and users can 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

Contact us today

Call our service department on 0800 298 6000 or email [email protected]

Follow us to keep up to date with our latest blogs:  Click here

Effective lifting and moving on ICU wards in hospitals

Staff on intensive care wards are regularly confronted by urgent, unpredictable work situations, with high risk of undesirable outcomes for the patient and of work-related injuries for the care staff.

A ceiling-mounted hoist system is often the ideal and most effective way to lift and move patients in such situations. Mounting all the lifting equipment at ceiling height frees up floor space improving access for critical care. A hoist also saves on time and resources, because everything needed to carry out a lift or a move is always close to hand, fewer staff members are required and stress for the patient minimised. For staff, there is a huge reduction in strain, over-exertion and injuries – and this means less sick leave and greater work satisfaction for carers or nurses.

Guldmann lifting modules are designed for heavy lifting with capacities of 175–500 kg. They are effortless to operate and provide exceptional freedom of movement. They also reduce the number of staff required for individual lifting procedures, while ensuring that lifts are performed quickly, efficiently and safely.

Great benefits of quality ceiling hoists

• Efficiency – Always ready for use
• Comfort – Runs effortlessly and silently with gentle, gradual start and stop
• Safety – Simple, intuitive operation, emergency stop and emergency lowering
• Ergonomics – Space for good posture, freedom of movement and ergonomically sound operation
• Speed – More time for care
• Constantly on charge, always available, no downtime for charging.

Common lifting and moving tasks on an intensive care ward include:

• Moving patients to a different bed, couch or chair.
• Lifting non-ambulant patients when changing bed linen
• Turning/repositioning.
• Positioning patients to facilitate treatment, personal care or pressure relief.
• Positioning and moving limbs.
• Weighing patients
• Repositioning patients against the headboard of a bed
• Moving patients as part of mobilisation programmes

Contact us today

For further information on our ceiling hoist systems call us on 0800 298 6000 or email [email protected]

Follow us to keep up to date with our latest blogs:  Click here

Changing Places benefits for disabled persons and their families

Changing Places offer many benefits for disabled people and their families. While having access to a Changing Places toilet is great for people with disabilities, what may not have been considered is the benefits for entire families.

Parents of children with profound disabilities often find that their families can suffer or feel like they are missing out on activities that other families participate in.

For a lot of parents, having a severely disabled child means that they are not able to stay away from home for too long. The lack of access to changing places facilities often means that trips and days out are cut short or don’t happen at all because families can’t find appropriate places to take their loved one to the toilet or change them in a safe manner.

In families with more than just one child, this can have a knock-on effect on the entire family. Days out to attractions sometimes may not be possible at all meaning the entire family miss out.

Parents that do venture out for a full day may find themselves having to ‘make do’ with toilet provisions – using toilet floors, the back of the car or even public spaces for changing. This is unsafe, unhygienic and undignified for both the parent and child or loved one.

Bearing in mind that the parent may have other children with them, a day out can become a logistical nightmare.
The lack of facilities for families with more complex needs means that some feel excluded from attractions and public places. This can lead to separation in families who aren’t able to enjoy time together.

In summary, access to a Changing Places facility means a huge amount, and has multiple benefits for both disabled people and their families. Consequently, there will be a real commercial impact for public venues that grasp the potential from the provision of such facilities.

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]

Follow us to keep up to date with Changing Places blogs:  Click here

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.

Show your care for society

Some recent astonishing figures showed that many many disabled people made a conscious decision not to visit an unwelcoming or inaccessible organisation — particularly those with no suitable facilities.

Changing places facilities allow disabled persons in our society to get out and about as they wish.

Make your library as accessible and ‘disabled friendly’ as possible.Don’t forget that one of the main reasons that many disabled people and their families don’t visit destinations is the lack of suitable toilet provisions and accessibility.

Changing Places – Changing Lives

Changing Places offer many benefits for disabled people and their families. Having access to a Changing Places toilet is a great plus for people with disabilities, but what may not have been considered is the benefits for entire families.

The lack of facilities for disabled persons and their families means that they feel excluded from attractions and public places.

Having good access and a Changing Places in the local library encourages reading and learning for those with disabilities or special 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]

Follow us to keep up to date with Changing Places blogs:  Click here

How heavy do you think is really super heavy?

Some Startling Statistics to get you thinking!!

✔ Juan Pedro Franco, 33, weighed a shocking 93 stone (595kg) by his mid-20’s, but has now lost over half of his own body weight!! (641 lb or 45 st – the equivalent of 40 large bowling balls!),

✔ Jon Brower Minnoch (September 30, 1941 – September 10, 1983) was an American man who, at his peak weight, was the heaviest human being ever recorded, weighing approximately 1,400 lb (635 kilograms; 100 stone)

✔ Carl Thompson (1982 – 21 June 2015) was the heaviest man in the United Kingdom, weighing 413 kg (65 st 1 lb; 911 lb) at the time of his death.

Bariatric Patients – Hoisting Challenges

With some of the heaviest persons alive weighing in excess of 50 stone (317 kilos) there can be some considerable challenges related to moving and transfers of these patients.

The Guldmann range of bariatric hoists and lifting slings has been developed with a focus on respect, dignity and comfort, and to meet the challenges that can arise in lifting and moving overweight and obese people.

Dignity and safety for bariatric patients

Dealing with bariatric patients features a variety of specific challenges when it is necessary to move, treat and care for them with dignity, respect and comfort. The physical condition and limitations of bariatric patients may limit their functional capabilities, which can cause problems in relation to everyday activities such as personal hygiene procedures, mobilisation and repositioning.

Using a ceiling hoist system and the Guldmann range of slings for bariatric people facilitates the performance of lifting, repositioning and hygiene procedures in a manner that is dignified and gentle for both patient and care staff.

Common everyday duties in caring for bariatric patients:

• Moves back and forth between bed and chair, chair and toilet, etc.
• Moves between different lying positions
• Repositioning in bed: from one side to the other, sitting up in bed
• Repositioning in a wheelchair, armchair, or similar
• Handling bariatric patients for procedures that require access to different body parts
• Personal hygiene
• Assistance with skin care/wound treatment

The products are designed to provide optimal comfort and safety for bariatric patients. The bariatric aids in the Guldmann range have a lifting capacity of up to 375 kg – and one particular product can handle lifts of as much as 500 kg.

Contact us today

Call us on 0800 298 6000 or email [email protected]

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]

Follow us to keep up to date with Changing Places blogs:  Click here