A new guide on architectural ironmongery and specialist applications has been launched for those specifying hardware in care homes.  
 
The Specifier’s Guide to Ironmongery for Specialist Applications is one of five guides created by the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI) to ensure that anyone involved in the specification of architectural ironmongery has access to the latest, best practice advice. All of the guides are available to download for free from the GAI website.
 
“We have produced these guides to ensure that all construction industry professionals have access to comprehensive guidelines and best practice covering all aspects of architectural ironmongery,” said Douglas Masterson, technical manager at the GAI. “We recognise that specifying architectural ironmongery can be complex, so we’ve pulled together all of the information a specifier will need to ensure the hardware is not only compliant but also performs as expected and suits the environment it is being used in.”

The College of Podiatry has worked alongside Cosyfeet in advising which of the company’s extra roomy footwear styles are suitable for people with diabetes.

Representatives from the College were invited to Cosyfeet Head Office in Somerset earlier this year to advise on the suitability of each style for people with a diagnosis of diabetes who are vulnerable to foot complications.

The College’s Clinical Director, Professor Paul Chadwick, headed up the eminent visiting panel, accompanied by Advanced Diabetic Podiatrist Krishna Gohill and Advanced Biomechanics Podiatrist Martin Nunn.

Optimum Medical has developed Ugo 4 Weeks to help give care homes more control over supplies of catheter drainage and fixation products. We understand that there are unique challenges regarding the control of these products in the care home environment. 

Some of the following scenarios may sound familiar:

• Staff not having time on their shift to complete a stock check before placing new product orders.
• Accidentally over-ordering products and having residents with piles of stock building up in their rooms.
• Going to retrieve a product from a box and finding the box has been left empty.
• Products being ‘borrowed’ from other residents’ rooms.
• Struggling to keep control of supplies when caring for multiple residents with urinary catheters.

Healthcare environments face some of the biggest challenges of any industry when looking at cost reduction. Maintaining exceptional levels of care in the face of tight budget constraints is extremely difficult, even for the largest of care providers. 

JustGloves is helping the UK healthcare industry to reduce outgoings by supplying top quality disposable clothing, including medical grade disposable gloves at arguably the lowest prices available anywhere online. 

How we achieve our low prices 

Part of the Value Products Group, JustGloves has a team of skilled purchasers who scour the globe for top suppliers and manufacturers of the most popular glove types and brands. We build longstanding relationships with these suppliers and purchase in bulk to achieve the best possible prices, that we then pass on to our customers. 

“I want to put my disposable coffee cup in the bin but what should I do with the liquid dregs?”  A problem we have all encountered. Should I tip it all in the bin and hope for the best or attempt surreptitiously to water a nearby, unsuspecting potted plant?

Leafield Environmental provides an efficient answer in the form of the Aquapod, a stand-alone liquid collection reservoir with a 9.5 litre capacity; the ideal complement to any waste receptacle sited where drinks might be consumed. 

Care homes increasingly choose Meiko’s 3 and 5-year “No-Bills” guarantee, available on warewashing and washer/disinfector appliances.

Meiko UK is a specialist supplier of warewashing equipment. Our all-inclusive ‘No Bills’ ‘peace of mind’ package includes Meiko’s proven technology combined with planned maintenance and a guarantee of “No extra Bills” for 3 or 5-years. 

Maplehurst Nursing Home in Haywards Heath explains why they chose a Meiko Topic bedpan washer.

Maplehurst is one of a group of homes providing high quality nursing care, with a focus on the challenges posed by dementia.

Minibuses for the Community

PHVC’s Community Minibus Team are dedicated to providing vehicles for care homes, charities and other organisations in the UK.  Supplying accessible versions of minibuses and vans is an important part of our business and we arrange bespoke solutions for groups and individuals, with most manufactures.  We operate our own fleet of minibus demonstrators, which can be viewed at your premises throughout the UK without any obligation.  

Accessibility Options

PHVC are pleased to offer bespoke conversions for all vehicles at a competitive price, along with industry leading finance options.

Skopos is excited to bring to market 3 new flame retardant, Crib 5 faux leathers this month. With 3 distinctly different finishes, the faux leathers provide a neat and elegant finishing touch for a variety of contract interiors.

With an antiqued/ aged effect, in a range of leather-look colours the Kiridesign mimics the sophisticated feel of leather. With a clear emboss Hiakois offered in a range of colours, suited to a variety of contract interiors. Hiako pushes the palette for designers to include both colours and neutrals into any contract scheme.

With clear simplicity Tamadelivers a bold and confident statement.  The emboss on Tama vinyl is light and understated, pushing the boundaries of colour to include vibrant shades, as well as neutrals, to potentially appeal to a younger audience.

Relieving The Pressure - a novel and cost effective option for pressure ulcer prevention

Pressure ulcer (PU) prevention in the care home setting can be challenging. Every setting where care is delivered, whether home, hospital or care home, faces challenges in delivering PU prevention(1).  Defined as localised damage to the skin and underlying tissue caused by unrelieved pressure or a combination of pressure and sheer(2,3) PU’s incur a significant cost to the NHS 4,5,6varying from £1,214 (category 1) to £14,108 (category 4)3. Costs increase with ulcer severity (3,6) not to mention the impact on the individual such as pain, the need for additional nursing interventions, damage to a persons’ sense of self leading to depression, social isolation due to wound symptoms such as odour (1,6)as well as increased risk of infection.

Here at MediSupplies, we have always believed that essential high-quality medical supplies should be easily available at low prices. 

Our team of buyers search the globe to find reliable suppliers of the most popular products from top brands and then build long-standing relationships with them to ensure the best possible prices. We purchase in bulk which allows us to pass cost savings on to you!

The MediSupplies website has been designed to be comprehensive and easy to use with clear labelling of product categories. You can even shop by profession, allowing you to view only the items right for your area of expertise. 

Offering an extensive range of over 4,200 medical products for the caring industry and home environment, our portfolio includes:

Sunray Engineering Ltd are the UK’s leading timber, security and fire door experts. The dedicated staff deliver excellence in surveying and design consultancy, providing timber and security fire doors as well as installation and maintenance services for buildings including care homes.

Red Kite manufacture, supply and service, safe, reliable 9 –17  Accessible Minibuses for customers across Great Britain. For over 37 years your safety and the safety of your passengers has been at the forefront of our supply process. Working from your instruction or with our Specialist Vehicle Option Team, customers can choose their brand new or pre-owned accessible vehicle from any of the leading manufacturers. We offer 1 – 4 wheelchair passenger positions complemented by flexible seating plans to suit your organisation’s particular requirements and maximise your minibus use. 
 
To assist with your purchase we offer a wide choice of finance options including Lease and Purchase Plans as well as traditional outright purchase. Contract Hire is now a popular choice for many organisations, allowing a fixed monthly rental to be set aside and with the exception of fuel and insurance, no additional costs are required. To optimise the use from your Accessible Minibus we provide a complete range of specialist mobility options including wheelchair tail lifts, ramps, lowering suspension, individual wheelchair/seat track and securing systems, high visibility trim, quick release seat systems plus secure storage for medication and respiratory equipment. To help your minibus stand out from the crowd, we also provide a full graphic design, fitting or wrap service if required.

A free interactive post falls assessment tool devised by the West Midlands Ambulance Service has officially launched and is now available to download on both iOS and Android devices.

The new App has been launched to support carers and care assistants to be able to assess fallen residents and to make the informed decisions whether they can lift the faller themselves safely and with the appropriate lifting equipment.

It is part of a continuing initiative to decrease the amount of unnecessary ambulance callouts to un-injured fallers which is currently costing the NHS over £50 million a year and to safeguard the lives of residents living in care homes; as clinical research has shown that delayed initial recovery (a lie greater than 10 minutes but less than 1 hour) and long-lie (a lie greater than 1-hour post fall) can result in serious health implications for the faller, such as, skin damage resulting in pressure sores, kidney failure and pneumonia. (ROSPA 2017)

In the Mills, S & Whitehead, R (2018) Amber Review it highlighted that; “the longest waits for patients in the community must reduce.”

At Happy Days Dementia Workshop, we are passionate about helping care teams enrich social care. We’ve spent many years visiting residential and dementia care homes, hospitals, care services and families. We observed and have since designed reminiscence materials to help people engage and prompt memories to bring about meaningful conversations and stories to share and enjoy.

When people see and experience our range of traditional games like Jacks, Beetle Drive or bespoke Snakes & Ladders with chat prompts, to vintage sweet shops, bus stops, seaside displays and 1950s rooms, I’m often asked where it all started. Well, it all started in Lancaster, studying for a masters degree where I became interested in the effect that prompting the long term memory can have. Unbeknown to me at the time, this was the beginning of my journey into helping care teams engage and enrich social care for elderly and people living with dementia.

Much has happened since then and here’s a peep into how Happy Days nostalgic materials and environment ideas can help