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Choosing the Right Pressure Care Solution: Active Mattresses

Pressure ulcers, also known as bedsores, are a serious concern for individuals with limited mobility. These painful wounds develop when prolonged pressure on the skin restricts blood flow, leading to tissue damage. Choosing the right pressure care solution is crucial for preventing and managing pressure ulcers, and active mattresses are a key tool in this effort.

What is an Active Mattress?

An active mattress is a powered pressure redistribution mattress that uses air cells to constantly change pressure points on the body. This dynamic movement helps to improve blood circulation and reduce the risk of pressure ulcer development.

Key Considerations When Choosing an Active Mattress:

  • Risk Level: The user’s risk level for developing pressure ulcers is the most important factor in selecting an appropriate mattress. This is typically assessed using a validated risk assessment tool like Purpose T.
  • User Needs: Consider the individual’s weight, height, mobility, and any existing medical conditions.
  • Mattress Features: Look for features such as:
    • Alternating Therapy: Provides cyclical pressure relief by inflating and deflating alternating cells.
    • Constant Low Pressure: Offers a static, low-pressure surface for additional support.
    • Max Inflate: Temporarily increases cell pressure for nursing procedures or user repositioning.
    • Seated Mode: Provides support when the backrest is elevated.
    • Comfort Control: Allows for personalised pressure adjustments.
  • Pump Features:
    • Ease of use: Intuitive controls and clear displays for simple operation.
    • Reliability: Durable and dependable performance to ensure consistent pressure relief.
    • Safety features: Alarms and auto-return functions to enhance user safety.
  • Warranty and Servicing: A comprehensive warranty and reliable servicing options are crucial for long-term peace of mind.

Recommended Active Mattresses from Harvest Healthcare:

Harvest Healthcare offers a range of high-quality active mattresses designed to meet diverse needs:

  • Balmoral II: Ideal for very high-risk users, the Balmoral II features 27 PU cells (23 active, 4 static pillow) on a 50mm foam base. Its narrower cells and versatile pump modes (Alternating, Constant Low Pressure, Max Inflate, Seated) ensure optimal pressure redistribution and comfort.
  • Balmoral Plus: Designed for very high-risk users, the Balmoral Plus offers enhanced pressure relief with 27 PU cells (23 active, 4 static) on a 50mm air base. Its versatile pump functions and durable construction make it suitable for demanding care environments.
  • Hampton II: Suitable for high-risk users, the Hampton II features 20 PU cells (17 active, 3 static) on a cell-on-cell base. Its compact digital pump offers essential pressure care modes, making it a cost-effective solution for various care settings.

Why Choose Harvest Healthcare?

  • Reliable and Durable Products: Our mattresses are built to last, providing consistent performance and peace of mind.
  • Comprehensive Warranty: All our active mattresses come with a 3-year warranty for added reassurance.
  • Cost-Effective Solutions: We offer a range of pressure care solutions to fit various budgets.
  • Servicing and Repair: Our dedicated service team provides prompt and reliable support, ensuring your mattresses remain in optimal condition.
  • Mattress Management Programme: Our comprehensive programme offers a cost-effective and sustainable alternative to mattress replacement, with repair, cleaning, and decontamination services.
  • Training and Support: We provide comprehensive training and support to ensure your staff can effectively use and maintain our pressure care solutions.

Choosing the right active mattress is crucial to the user’s well-being. Contact Harvest Healthcare today to discuss your pressure care needs and find the best solution for your users.

Leadership Transition at Harvest Healthcare

We are pleased to share important news about a leadership change at Harvest Healthcare.

After several successful years at the helm, Paul Mullan, Managing Director of Harvest Healthcare and Prism Healthcare’s Long-Term Care Division, has announced his retirement. Paul will be stepping down and leaving both Harvest and Prism at the end of November 2024.

During his time with the company, Paul has led with unwavering professionalism and energy, steering Harvest through a period of significant growth. His dedication to the company, our customers, and—most importantly—the individuals who benefit from our products and services has left a lasting legacy. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Paul for his outstanding contribution and wish him all the very best in his retirement.

We are also excited to announce that Mike Burns, who has worked in the healthcare industry for nearly 20 years and served as our Commercial Director over the past year, will be stepping into the role of Managing Director, effective 1st December 2024.

This marks the beginning of a new chapter for Harvest. Mike Burns brings extensive experience, a deep understanding of the sector, and a continued passion for supporting our customers and driving innovation. We look forward to the next stage of our journey under his leadership.

CEO Jason Leek and the entire team join in expressing our gratitude to Paul and our excitement for the future.

If you have any questions or would like to schedule a meeting to discuss what this change means for you, please get in touch with your usual Harvest contact.

Prism Acquires the ‘Oxford’ Product Range and Joerns Healthcare’s UK Business

We are delighted to announce that on 30th October 2024 Joerns Healthcare’s UK business, including the ‘Oxford’ range of products, became part of the Prism Healthcare Group. With a heritage dating back to the 1950s, Oxford is one of the leading brands in the patient handling and rehabilitation product markets.

The Oxford brand specialises in clinical hoisting equipment, slings and bathing equipment. The Oxford product ranges represent a strategic addition to the Prism Healthcare Group, which is dedicated to transforming lives in the home, long-term care, acute care and paediatric settings. Prism will take on board the full Oxford product set, including the ‘Professional’ and ‘Classic’ ranges as well as complementary bathing products, slings and other products supplied by Joerns UK. Within its core UK market, Joerns UK is a supplier to the community equipment market via loan store operators and independent local authorities, as well as to NHS Trusts, care homes and dealers.

The acquisition of Joerns UK is expected to strengthen Prism’s position as one of the UK’s leading providers of safe patient handling, pressure area care and specialist seating equipment for individuals with limited mobility.
Chris Morgan, Managing Director of Joerns UK, will take on an expanded role within the enlarged Prism group. He will lead Prism’s UK Homecare and Acute Care businesses, including leading the Joerns UK team within the enlarged UK group.

Chris Morgan comments:
“I am delighted to have the opportunity to join the Prism Healthcare Group in this exciting new era and to continue the positive development of our company. I love working with the fantastic people in this industry and am delighted that the Prism group will support us to continue our successful growth. This will be for the shared benefit of our customers, our team and our supply chain partners.”

Jason Leek, CEO Prism Healthcare Group, adds:
“The Oxford range of products is an exciting addition to the Prism Healthcare Group. This acquisition strengthens our product offering, supports our expansion into the acute market and, most importantly, allows us to provide our customers a broader offer. I am very excited that we can expand the value-add offering for our customers as well as enhancing our relationships with our suppliers. I am delighted to welcome Chris Morgan and the Joerns team to the group and look forward to working together”.

 

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Prism Plus: Prism Healthcare Group’s one-stop solution for bariatric needs

In 2016, around 13% of adults worldwide were affected by obesity, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2021), characterising an abnormal excess of body fat posing health risks. Epidemiological studies indicate a steady rise in obesity prevalence in recent decades, reaching epidemic levels (Großschädl & Stronegger, 2019; NCD-RisC, 2017), with projections indicating a continued increase (Thomas et al., 2014).

The prevalence of obesity among residents in nursing homes is also on the rise, potentially impacting required nursing care, facility provisions, and morbidity rates. A US study revealed a significant increase in obesity prevalence among newly admitted nursing home residents, rising from 16.9% to 25.8% over ten years (Cai, Rahman et al., 2013). Additionally, residents with moderate or severe obesity had a 15.0% higher likelihood of developing pressure ulcers compared to non-obese residents in the same facility, highlighting associated health risks.

Increased body mass often leads to reduced mobility, complicating care tasks such as repositioning and increasing the risk of secondary health issues, all contributing to pressure ulcer development risk factors.

Ensuring accessible care for all is paramount, particularly in private and non-purpose-built nursing homes. Considering these statistics, it’s evident that plus-sized patients require specialised care with the appropriate equipment. However, this presents its own challenges for both care homes and community equipment providers.

Sourcing the required equipment can be challenging. This leads to many care providers lacking the necessary equipment to support bariatric individuals, especially in larger quantities. This impacts timely care delivery, care home admissions, and patient discharge from hospitals.

Residences may also face infrastructure limitations hindering care for plus sized individuals further complicating care provision. Acute care environments recommend spacious rooms for plus sized patients, posing a further challenge for many long-term care settings (Muir, 2009).

At Prism Healthcare Group, we are dedicated to easing the burden of sourcing and fitting bariatric equipment, allowing caregivers to concentrate on delivering high-quality care. Our Prism Plus line features an extensive range of bariatric products designed to streamline selection, backed by knowledgeable customer service and sales teams ready to address any challenges.

Our products are designed to enhance the quality of life for residents and caregivers, ensuring equitable access to care and support.

For more information on Prism Plus products, please visit the Prism Healthcare website.

 

References

Großschädl, F., Schoberer, D., Eglseer, D., Lohrmann, C., Everink, I., Gordon, A. L., Schols, J. M. G. A., & Bauer, S. (2023). Obesity and its associated factors in older nursing home residents in three European countries—Secondary data analyses from the “International Prevalence Measurement of Care Quality”. International Journal of Older People Nursing, 18, e12530.

Cai, S., M. Rahman and O. Intrator (2013). “Obesity and pressure ulcers among nursing home residents.” Medical care 51(6): 478-486.

Muir, M. (2009) “Space Planning for the Bariatric Patient.” Bariatric Times.

 

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Balmoral Mattress / Harvest 2 Pump

View PDF

Balmoral Mattress Post-Market Clinical Performance Review

 

1.0 Background

Harvest supplies pressure-reducing mattresses (static and dynamic) to the health and social care sector within the UK. The company is committed to ensuring that the equipment it manufactures is subjected to post-market clinical follow-up (PMCF). Audits undertaken within the care provision sectors have sought to establish how the equipment functions in the real-world setting compared to laboratory/on-site testing. This document provides results and findings from audits undertaken between August and December 2022 in the Care Home Sector where the Balmoral Active Mattress is in use and has been compiled by an Independent Nurse Advisor / Educator on behalf of Harvest Health Care.

2.0 Findings

Data is provided for 82 residents in 11 independent care homes, however, it should be noted that not all data elements are available for all 82 residents due to the complexities of collecting audit data within the care home environment.

2.1 Age, Waterlow Score, and Weight

The age of the resident was available for 67 of the residents for whom audit data was available. The average age of residents nursed on the Harvest Balmoral mattress was 78 years, with the oldest resident at 103 years and the youngest resident was 39 years old. Waterlow scores for those who were managed on the Balmoral mattress ranged from WS 7 (not at risk) to WS42 (Very High Risk), with the average Waterlow score being 21 (Very High Risk). For the Waterlow data set, data was available for 78 of the 82 residents included in the audits. Weight ranges of those using the Balmoral mattress ranged from 38kg to 114.7 kg with an average weight of 63.3kg. Those with a weight of 38kg would usually be deemed to be extremely frail, and those with a weight of > 100kg in such an elderly population are likely to have high BMI and are most likely to be overweight or obese.

Figure 1 – Descriptive statistics for Age, Waterlow and Weight

2.2 Resident Mobility and Comorbidities

The audits undertaken by the independent clinical advisor also reviewed the mobility levels and comorbidities for each resident who was using the Harvest Balmoral. Findings are shown in Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 shows that 92% of residents who were nursed on the Balmoral mattress had either poor mobility (required hoist or wheelchair, but were able to make some independent movements in bed) or were completely immobile (reliant on staff for all repositioning), with the remaining 8% able to mobilise with some assistance. The most common comorbidities (Figure 2) for those residents who were nursed on the Balmoral mattress, included (a) a history of Cerebral Vascular Accident (CVA 20%), (b) Dementia and/ or cognitive impairment (38%) and (c) Diabetes (33%).

Fig 1                                                               Fig 2

2.3 Development of Pressure Ulcers

In total, during the audit period there were 8 residents who were being nursed on the Balmoral pressure mattress who had existing pressure ulcers.

• One resident had developed a category 2 pressure ulcer to their elbow, but the care home staff believed that this had developed due to the resident leaning on the chair and was therefore not associated with use of the mattress.

• Another resident had 2 category 2 pressure ulcers to their heels, but these had developed due to direct contact between the resident’s heels and a specialist chair footplate, so again this was not deemed to be associated with use of the Harvest Balmoral mattress.

• A further 6 residents with pressure ulcers; Category II (1 resident); Category III (2 residents) and Category IV (2 residents) had been admitted to the care home with pressure ulcers and were being nursed on the Harvest Balmoral mattress as part of a package of care to prevent further pressure ulcers and to expedite healing of these existing pressure ulcers. In all of these cases, the resident’s wounds were showing signs of ongoing improvement.

• Those with a history of pressure ulceration (3 residents) but were now ulcer free had healed whilst using the Balmoral mattress and had remained healed and ulcer free during their time using the mattress

3.0 Summary

Post-market clinical follow-up on the Harvest Balmoral Alternating Mattress was undertaken between August and December 2022 using an independent clinical advisor to undertake the audit and collate the data. A Total of 12 Independent Care Homes which used Harvest pressure-reducing mattresses were visited by the Independent Clinical Advisor (11 of these Care Homes had a total of 82 residents who were using the Balmoral alternating mattress) and a review of equipment in use within the care home was undertaken at each site. Whilst on site the Independent Nurse Advisor was provided with anonymised information for each of the residents to enable the collation of real-world PMCF performance data for the Harvest Balmoral Mattress.

Data collected so far suggests that the Harvest Balmoral Mattress performs well for prevention of pressure ulcers in the 24-hour care home provider environment for elderly residents (where regular repositioning and continuous support via carers is available), with low, medium or high weights, those who are at very high risk of pressure ulceration and those with comorbidities such as Diabetes, CVA and Dementia or Cognitive impairment.

It also suggests that the mattress performs well for those with pressure ulcers of Category II, III or IV and can also be used for those with a history of previous pressure ulceration to prevent further ulceration, although the numbers of residents where this was observed during the audit was small (n=3).

Harvest Healthcare aims to continue to collect this PMCF data via collaborative working with care home providers to increase the number of residents audited and to provide robust post-market clinical follow-up data.

Report compiled by:

N Morton
Independent Nurse Advisor / Educator
RGN, BSc Hons Nursing, MSc Wound Healing and Tissue Repair, PG Cert HE

04/01/2023

 

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