There are many questions about profiling care beds in the care industry and the requirements of servicing, many of which have been raised as a result of a rising number of incidents involving beds, so of course these are very important questions for all care home operators.
At N H Maintenance, we make compliance simple for our clients, and this is why we’ve brought together the information below to help clarify a few points relating to profiling care beds and servicing requirements.
Should profiling care beds be serviced and maintained regularly?
Whilst there is no specific legislation requiring regular servicing of profiling care beds, there are various regulations that do apply, and many other reasons why this should be done.
A certain amount of maintenance on profiling care beds can be carried out by care home staff, but the requirements of MHRA are very stringent, particularly in relation to bed rails and documentation of works carried out.
There has been a rise in incidents reported relating to beds, and these have led to serious injury and/or death, and healthcare providers have been fined large sums of money. Some of these could have been averted had the beds been maintained, and proof of a regular service contract would also help in these circumstances.
Profiling care beds that are not maintained are more likely to break down and cause emergency situations, and this can put care staff and patients at risk. Beds being out of action can also lead to loss of earnings for a care home, and moving and handling issues with care staff.
A regular service and certification of profiling beds by a 3rd Party would greatly assist in covering MHRA’s requirements, as works are carried out by trained and competent personnel and all servicing and repairs are documented. It also reduces the likelihood of breakdowns and downtime.
Does LOLER 1998 apply to profiling care beds?
LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulation 1998) applies to equipment which lifts or lowers loads as a principal function, and HSE state that height adjustability alone does not mean that LOLER applies to the equipment. Therefore profiling beds do not come under the LOLER requirements of 6 monthly inspections.
What legislation does apply to profiling care beds?
Profiling care beds do not come under the LOLER Regulation, but the requirements under PUWER (Provision & Use of Work Equipment Regulation 1998) to adequately maintain the equipment do still apply, which advises that work equipment should be maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Most manufacturers of profiling beds advise that they should be serviced on an annual basis, and many of our clients have also been advised by CQC that annual servicing of profiling beds should be carried out by an independent 3rd Party.
In summary…
Due to various factors we have discussed above, such as incidents and fines, moving and handling issues, the PUWER Regulation, and advice from CQC, N H Maintenance has seen a marked increase in clients requesting regular servicing on their profiling beds.
Common faults we have found when carrying out initial service visits are broken welds, loose castors, broken motor casings, exposed wires and inoperative bed rails (see photos below for examples), all of which pose a considerable risk to both clients and care staff and many could have been prevented by regular maintenance.
N H Maintenance can provide servicing and repairs to a great range of different makes and models of profiling beds such as AKS, Accora, Apollo, Bock, Burmeier, Carroll, Casa Med, Days, Graham Parrish, HMS, Hartwell, Harvest, Hill Rom, ArjoHuntleigh, Invacare, Malsch, Nesbit Evans, Nexus, Parlup, Pegasus, Sidhill, Steiss, Tekvorcare, Theraposture, Vermieren, Westmeria, and more…
Contact us or visit our main website for further information on the services we can offer and “What makes NHM different”!
With an NHM Service Contract, you can be assured you are in safe hands – we work with our clients to prevent call-outs and downtime, and your mind can be at rest knowing that your patient handling equipment is safe and compliant.
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For more information on HSE’s guidance on profiling beds:
