Our beds are gaining well-deserved recognition!

We are excited to announce that we have been selected as finalists for two prestigious awards at the Health Service Journal (HSJ) Partnership Awards 2024: the 'Patient Safety Collaboration of the Year Award' and the 'Innovation and Improvement in Reducing Healthcare Inequalities Award’.

This recognition reflects our successful partnership with the UK hospital bed manufacturer Medstrom, which has led to the design and development of the SoloMH electric-profiling bed. This unique innovation features superior ligature reduction and a robust design to mitigate harm in challenging environments, such as mental health settings. The SoloMH bed is already making a significant impact in our wards.

Our dedicated healthcare professionals recognised the need for hospital beds that could adequately support patients with complex mental and physical health needs. Understanding the importance of providing appropriate care in a suitable environment, we committed to addressing this issue through our collaboration with Medstrom.

Sue Lenihan, the Lead Moving and Handling Advisor for KMPT, said: "I want to thank our dedicated Dartford acute and forensic teams for their invaluable efforts in trialling the prototype bed on their wards. Their insightful feedback has led us to commit to replacing all profiling beds in our acute wards and ground-floor complex rehabilitation rooms. This improvement is already helping our staff provide enhanced care.

"We now can safely elevate the chests of patients who struggle with breathing difficulties, and the option to place them in a seated position offers comfort that significantly benefits their recovery. We are incredibly grateful to Medstrom for turning a brief conversation into reality."

Introducing the SoloMH mental health bed has improved day-to-day operations by enhancing efficiencies. Since we no longer need to rent beds, all staff are trained to operate a single bed model, which boosts their competency and confidence. Safety has improved as the new beds have no removable parts and feature full electric profiling capabilities, reducing the risk of falls. By becoming standard equipment, our services are now more accessible to a larger number of patients. As a result, we are seeing cost savings while ultimately providing a more comfortable experience, prioritising our patients' and staff's safety and well-being.

Debbie Martindale, Clinical Director at Medstrom, commented, "Gathering clinical insight by collaborating with the team at KMPT has been incredible. Their extensive experience and knowledge have given our team valuable insights into designing the ideal solution for mitigating harm in challenging environments, including mental health. The SoloMH bed has been carefully crafted to address as many of the challenges of complex environments as possible, ensuring patient protection without compromising clinical outcomes.

"Being shortlisted as a finalist is a remarkable achievement that reflects the hard work and dedication of everyone involved. We are proud that Medstrom contributed to this initiative and helped enhance the quality of mental healthcare delivery. We eagerly await the award ceremony in March!"