Hi there, Lee here, I’m the Servicing Support Manager at Hcsuk, and today I’m bringing you important news of the latest National Patient Safety Alert from the MHRA ( Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) regarding risk of death from entrapment or falls from medical beds, bed rails, bed grab handles, trolleys and lateral turning devices:
The MHRA report that from January 1st 2018 – December 31st 2022:
18 people died from injuries related to entrapment or falls
54 people were seriously injured
Likely causes included worn or broken parts, which SHOULD have been replaced during regular servicing and maintenance, but which were either not carried out at all, or were carried out improperly.
The moral of this story is
A lack of regular and thorough bed maintenance can have serious implications and consequences!
COMING SOON!!! Why not Join our waiting list for our BRAND NEW FREE guide based around bed rail safety and avoiding entrapment?
Sign up in the form below!
The MHRA are advising you to complete the following actions by 1st March 2024.
Update your policies and procedures on procurement, provision, prescribing, servicing and maintenance of this equipment in line with the MHRA guidance.
Develop a staff training plan for all applicable staff relevant to their role within the next 12 months with regular updates. All training should be recorded.
Review your medical device management system ( inventory / database) for your organisation or third-party provider for the devices, including those which have been provided to a community setting ( for example, the patient’s own home). Keep this system up to date.
Implement servicing and maintenance schedules for your equipment, prioritising equipment which has not had regular maintenance and servicing in line with the manufacturer’s instructions for use and / or service manual. If this is outsourced, compliance with the schedule should be monitored.
Prioritise ensuring equipment provided to children or adults with atypical anatomy is compliant with BS EN 50637:2017 unless there is a clinical reason for using a non-compliant bed. Record this on the risk assessment and put in place measures to reduce entrapment risks as much as possible.
Check and update risk assessments - review all patients who are currently provided with bed rails or bed grab handles to ensure there is a documented up-to-date risk assessment. Complete risk assessments for patients where this has not already been done and for each patient who is provided with bed rails or bed grab handles.
Implement systems to update risk assessments where the equipment or the patient’s clinical condition has changed ( for example, reduction / improvement in weight or mobility), and also at regular intervals.
To read the complete updated guidance from the MHRA, I’ve included the following link for you: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/bed-rails-management-and-safe-use.
As part of our 46 Point Safety Check Profiling Bed Service, there are 8 checks specifically relating to the bed rails including:
4 bed rail performance checks to ensure your bed rails are working correctly and safely and
4 bed rails regulations checks, including measurements, to ensure compliance with current bed rail regulations.
And you, of course, receive a copy of this paperwork, as proof that your beds have been checked by an external expert contractor, to present to CQC and other regulatory bodies, as part of the new requirements.
Send reminders to you when your beds are due for their next service through our Diary Management system, so you don’t have to worry about remembering.
Giving you peace of mind that your beds and bed rails are in top-notch condition and more importantly, the people you support can sleep safely.
And COMING SOON!!! Why not Join our waiting list for our BRAND NEW FREE guide based around bed rail safety and avoiding entrapment!
If you have any questions or would like to discuss any aspect of bed servicing or bed rail safety why not book a call with me , here, or email me at servicing@hcsuk.co.uk or call me on my direct line 01773 532588.
https://hcsuk.co.uk/everything-you-need-to-know-about-profiling-bed-servicing/
https://app.hubspot.com/content-detail/7892776/blog-post/123729607006/performance
Until next time,
Lee Atterbury
Servicing Support Manager
Hcsuk