Funding specialist training equipment

A donation of more than £5,000 from My Charity UHSussex is helping patients who need new mobility aids to be better prepared for their return home from hospital. 

The money has enabled the Occupational Therapy team at St Richard’s hospital in Chichester to purchase training equipment to improve their specialist skills in manual handling to provide better care for patients. 

Around 200 therapy staff across St Richard’s, Royal Sussex County, Worthing and Princess Royal Hospitals (UHSussex) have now received vital training, including 60 colleagues at St Richard’s Hospital alone. 

Katharine Carlisle, Occupational Therapy Operational Manager, said: “Being able to train staff and carry out assessments using the same types of equipment patients will use at home helps us prepare people for discharge more effectively. It also gives patients and families a better understanding of what to expect, improving confidence and supporting rehabilitation using the least restrictive methods possible.” 

The equipment that the charity funded includes an electric hoist, an electric standing aid, two types of manual standing aids, a ‘wedge’, as well as the slings, belts and accessories needed to use them safely. 

This equipment is different from what is typically used on hospital wards, which is why additional training is required. It’s prescribed for patients returning home from hospital following illnesses or injuries that affect their mobility, such as stroke, falls, dementia or other conditions that leave them unable to stand and do daily tasks independently. 

Whilst the patient’s equipment can be prescribed through a community equipment provider, that service is unable to supply this for hospital-based training or assessment purposes. As a result, therapists previously had limited access to the specialist equipment meaning less therapists were trained in using it, and these vital skills were stretched across the team. 

Having access to training equipment is already helping therapist’s complete assessments more efficiently, prepare patients for discharge and support rehabilitation at home. In some cases, it can help reduce the number of carers required for each home visit, making care packages cheaper and easier to arrange while maintaining safe, high-quality care. 

Carol Morley, Occupational Therapy Office Manager, said: “We would like to thank everyone for all the generous donations and fundraising that made this possible. Having our own equipment has made such a difference to our team and to the community. We are able to facilitate more timely discharges, free up hospital beds and help ensure patients can receive the right support at home.”