What are the best bariatric beds in the UK?

Looking to buy a bariatric bed but not sure which one to choose?

With more than one million admissions to NHS hospitals in 2019/20 where obesity was a factor, it is vital that the care sector is able to look after bariatric patients and residents, equipped with the right type of equipment that can cater for this growing audience.

Specialist beds play a crucial role in this, ensuring that plus-sized patients are comfortable and feel that the equipment works for them.

There are a number of different bariatric beds currently on the market, offering a wide range of benefits and features that range from a safe working load of 500kg/78st, to large anti-static castors for easy manoeuvrability.

However, with so many options available, choosing the right bariatric bed for your care environment can be difficult.

Luckily, this blog has you covered.

We have picked out six of the most innovative bariatric beds on the market, detailing their key benefits and how they can enhance quality of care for larger patients.

 

Features to consider when buying a bariatric bed

Bariatric beds are specially designed to support overweight individuals, featuring increased weight capacities, heavy duty supports and wider widths to meet their needs.

Not only do they enhance patient safety, they also promote independence by being height adjustable, helping to safeguard patient dignity and protecting staff and care workers from strain or injury.

Here are a couple of features that you need to consider before purchasing a bariatric bed:

• Weight Capacity – Able to accommodate patients who weigh more than the capacity of a standard hospital bed, bariatric hospital beds typically have a maximum working load of 226kg/35st or more. However, it is important to know that not every bariatric bed can fit every bariatric patient. There’s a difference between the safe working load and the maximum user weight. A safe working load is often higher as it accounts for the mattress, and any other equipment used on the bed along with the patient. Maximum user weight refers only to the patient’s weight – so please don’t put a 250kg/39st patient on a bed with a safe working load of 250kg/39st because they’ll be too heavy!

 

 

• Dimensions – Plus-sized beds are usually bigger to accommodate the patient’s weight. Whereas a typical hospital bed may be around 95cm-100cm, a bariatric bed can be made to widths of 110cm and 120cm. Many beds also feature adjustable ranges for one or more dimensions, providing flexibility for the person’s physical size. Height adjustability is also feature worth noting as it permits patients to safely enter and exit the bed from a low-to-the-ground position while still letting caregivers work efficiently by raising the height of the bed.
• Extra Positioning – Positioning is key for any bariatric bed as it plays a crucial role in making sure the patient is comfortable. For example, some beds can reconfigure into a chair position, such as the Low Chair, which allows the patient to easily get from a sitting to a standing position or vice versa, as it stays close to the ground level. Another example of adjustable positioning is double auto-regression, a position where the backrest and knee brake are inclined, the middle section of the bed widens to facilitate the patient’s shift in weight distribution.

 

 

• Safety Features – Safety should be at the forefront for any piece of healthcare equipment. For bariatric beds, the frame of the bed itself will often be made from stronger components to facilitate the person’s weight, and any decent bariatric bed will include split siderails. This allows the siderails to move independently with the head-end and foot-end of the bed so that when the user is sat up, the siderail will still be alongside them offering support and security. Other elements to consider include backup batteries, nurse call connectivity and an easy release brake in case of emergencies.

 

INTERVIEW WITH TRACEY CARR

To get more insights into effective bariatric equipment provision, watch our interview with Tracey Carr.

 

 

Best bariatric beds in the UK

Once you have done your research into what a bariatric bed needs to provide, it’s time to start looking at what is on offer.

Using information from suppliers’ websites, this blog will now look at six of the most innovative bariatric beds on the market, detailing their key benefits and specifications.

Bariatric Bed Specifications

Innova – VersaTech 1100 ULB

 

Designed to blend in with other beds used in the care environment to help preserve the patients sense of dignity while delivering the functionality required by caregivers, the VersaTech 1100 ULB is the only bariatric bed that can drop to 21cm/8 inches off the ground.

Its extra low patient positioning significantly reduces the risk of injuries in the case of falling out of the bed, as well as making it easier for plus-sized patients to enter and exit the bed, improving their autonomy.

To help reduce risk for caregivers, the VersaTech also includes an innovative ‘VersaDrive’ option. This advanced motorised wheel uses sensors to detect the bed’s intended direction of movement, automatically adjusting the bed in the right direction to reduce the risk of strain injuries for care staff when pushing a bed.

The bed also features a safe working load of 500kg/78st and a patient limit of up to 460kg/72st, with each part of the bed also being tested for weight limits (the bed is divided into 3 sections):

• Backrest 225kg/35st)
• Seat section 125kg/19st
• Legs section 150 kg/23st

With its easily expandable options to accommodate different mattress sizes, an emergency battery backup and quick connect components to ensure optimum efficiency on busy wards, the Interlude 500 takes bariatric care to a whole new level.

Watch our video below to learn more the benefits of the VersaTech 1100 ULB with VersaDrive:

 

Linet: Image 3 Bariatric

 

Linet’s Image 3 Bariatric is a hospital bed specifically designed for bariatric patients looking for a comfortable, practical and safe healthcare bed with high standards.

Used in a wide range of hospital departments, one of the main advantages of the Image 3 Bariatric bed is a safe working load of 320kg/50st.

In addition, the bed includes a number of safety features including extra low patient positioning (patient surface height is 28cm) to significantly reduce the risk of injuries in case of falling out of the bed, especially during the night.

It also features a brake alarm, that automatically signals an unbraked bed and notifies hospital staff about possible danger, thus preventing patient falls caused by leaning against an unbraked bed when exiting or entering the bed.

 

Arjo: Citadel Plus

 

Providing flexible, safe and efficient patient care, the Arjo Citadel Plus Bariatric Care System is purpose-built for hospitals demanding the highest levels of safety and efficiency from their beds and therapeutic surfaces.

Delivering an impressive safe working load weight of 522kg/82st and a maximum patient weight of 454kg/71st, the Citadel Plus includes an integrated weigh scale with an Auto-Compensation feature, allowing objects to be added or removed without impacting the patient’s weight reading.

Three width expansion options are also included, helping give flexibility to accommodate different size patients and enabling easier access through doorways and in elevators during transport.

For additional patient positioning, a digital head of bed angle display provides clear information to assist caregivers in appropriate patient positioning.

An automatic pause at 30 degree head elevation helps remind caregivers when this important angle has been reached.

 

Montcalm: Ook Snow ALL Bed

 

Affectionately renamed ‘The Cuddle bed’ by a lot of their customers, the Ook Snow ALL bed has the same footprint as a standard hospital ward bed, but at the touch of a button, it can widen to a double bed.

Used as a bariatric bed in hospitals, and for palliative care in hospices, the bed is fully certified for two people, giving patients and carers peace of mind that not only is it helping to provide care, it is doing it safely.

Able to lower to 27cm from the floor, and cater for a max patient weight of 481kg/76st, the Ook Snow ALL bed comes equipped with Bed Exit Alarm technology and OIML Class 3 scales.

There is also an information screen at the end of the bed that shows the caregiver the current status of the bed, including the height of the bed, backrest angles and which alarm setting is selected.

 

One Rehab: Kansas Bariatric Bed

 

The Kansas Bariatric Bed is a multi-positional, extendable width bariatric bed with a joy stick drive system that enables the bed and patient to be moved effortlessly by one person.

Operating with a maximum user weight of 453kg/71st, the bed uses a compact Fold & Roll 1 person delivery system, ensuring the bed can be manoeuvred easily, with a nurse attendant control panel located on the foot panel.

One of the easiest beds to use on the market, the Kansas Bariatric Bed can be moved into multiple positions including the Trendelenburg and reverse Trendelenburg, Cardiac Chair Positioning and also has independent head and knee positioning.

Available as a rental, the bed also comes with integrated weight scales, angle indicators and heavy duty steer and lock castors.

 

Benmor Medical: Aurum+ Bariatric Bed

 

The Aurum+ Bariatric Bed has been specifically designed for size, strength and practicality.

Equipped with key features such as width adjustment, optional integrated weighing scales and adjustable safety rails, the bed provides a safe environment within which to improve the moving and handling of larger patients up to a maximum patient weight of 440kg/69st.

Compliant with the latest EN60601/2/52 medical standards, the Aurum+ also features a number of great benefits to enhance infection prevention, including an Epoxy coated finish.

Removable head and foot boards allow for greater access to patients, easier storage and easy cleaning, while emergency CPR and Trendelenburg options helps reduce the time taken to move patients to emergency positions.

 

Summary

We have seen how hospitals and other care environments, have an ever-growing requirement to cater for the growth in the number of bariatric patients likely to be admitted.

How hospitals can adapt for bariatric patients

To help meet this demand, this blog has looked at the six most innovative bariatric beds on the UK market, highlighting each of their main benefits and specifications.

Whether it is incorporating a high safe working load or features that allow for extra positioning, it is vital that bariatric beds get the right balance between functionality and comfort.

All of the beds featured in this blog are helping to enhance the quality of care bariatric patients receive in care environments across the UK, both in terms of their physical needs but also delivering care in a dignified manner.