When it comes to managing your care home, ensuring the safety and well-being of your residents is of utmost importance.
As care home equipment plays such a vital role in the day to day care and quality of life of the people you support, one way you can achieve this is by ensuring your equipment is always functional, safe, and appropriate for the needs of your residents.
Over time, care home equipment may become outdated, worn out, or no longer fit for purpose.
In this blog, we share our top tips to help you assess when it's time to upgrade or replace your care home equipment.
Lifetime Expectancy Of Your Care Home Equipment
It’s worth considering when you’re budgeting for the future that most care home equipment manufacturers build and certify products with an expected usable lifetime of between 6 and 10 years in the normal working environment, dependent on the type of equipment.
In addition, the supply of replacement spare parts is usually available for around 5 years following the withdrawal or superseding of a particular piece of equipment.
Assessing The Condition Of Your Equipment
One of the first steps in determining whether your equipment is in need of an upgrade or replacement is to assess its current age and condition.
Performing regular inspections of your equipment, and having pre-planned maintenance agreements in place with specialist care home servicing providers will highlight any signs of wear and tear or damage.
Any servicing recommendations and advisories for repairs will be detailed in your engineer’s work report for each piece of equipment following their routine servicing.
Here @Hcsuk Servicing, once servicing paperwork has been processed, any recommendations or advisories reported by our engineer are followed up as a matter of course with the care home management. You will be given the option for us to:
1. Provide you with a first fix service where possible, where we will repair your equipment there and then, on site, to minimise inconvenience and downtime of your equipment (where stock availability of spare parts allows).2. Source any parts that you may require, and provide a competitive quote to supply and fit for your approval, prior to any parts being ordered.
It’s important that any issues are addressed promptly to ensure your equipment remains safe and functional.
If parts or repairs are no longer a financially viable solution, the servicing report will detail it as ‘Beyond Economical Repair’ (B.E.R.) and this would indicate its time to consider upgrading or replacing your equipment.
Consider The Needs Of The People You Support
The needs of your residents should be the main consideration when it comes to upgrading or replacing your care home equipment.
If specific equipment is no longer meeting the needs of residents or is no longer appropriate for their level of care, it's time to consider an upgrade or replacement.
For example, if a resident’s health deteriorates and they become more dependent, they may require more specialised care and upgraded equipment such as a higher risk pressure relief mattress or low profiling bed, at which point your current equipment may need to be replaced with something more suitable.
Evaluate The Cost-Effectiveness
While the safety and well-being of residents should always be the top priority, care home managers must also consider the cost-effectiveness of upgrading or replacing equipment.
It's essential to weigh up the costs of upgrading or replacing equipment against the potential benefits for all concerned, such as improved resident comfort, reduced risk of injury, and increased efficiency for the care home staff in their daily routines within the home.
Consider Regulatory Compliance
As a responsible care home provider or manager, you must comply with industry regulations and guidelines relating to the use of equipment, including CQC, Health and Safety, LOLER and PUWER requirements, infection control, and fire safety regulations.
If your current equipment is no longer meets these regulations, it must be replaced or upgraded to ensure that your home remains compliant.
Failure to comply with these regulations can result in fines, legal action, and damage to the care home's reputation.
By assessing all of these factors, care home managers can make informed decisions that prioritize the safety and well-being of residents while also ensuring the care home remains efficient and compliant with regulations.
Image source: Canva
