EBME Forums Forums Management Medical Equipment Management Lifting Equipment

I find a kick up the arse works.
Does this mean my boot comes under LOLER as it seems to be its main function?
Robert

Patient hoists can be considered within the remit of the Medical Engineering World as they are clearly classed as medical devices used in the care of disabled people.

The demarkation between Estates responsibilities and EBME may not be clear cut as many devices incorporate electronic weigh scales used in the calculation / making up of medicine.

Portable patient hoists, hydraulic / electric are considered for adult general use and are suitable to be based within ward areas and are controlled within the Acute Trust by the EBME run Equipment Pool in conjunction with Trust moving & handling co-ordinators.

External Maintenance contract performed by an approved third party service provider, but controlled by EBME.

Equipment used to lift persons must undergo a thorough examination by a competent person at least every six months, unless the competent person has imposed a shorter interval.
Lifting equipment shall be subject to a thorough examination by a competent person at least once in every twelve months.
The scheme of the thorough examination will normally include static and dynamic load testing at least every 12 months.(This will included suspension of calibrated weights and check of weigh scale).
Six monthly checks functional / visual / examination / inspection.
Twelve monthly checks above plus load testing and PAT testing as appropriate.

Lifting equipment, wheelchairs etc are certainly medical equipment as they have been built to a medical standard by the manufacturer. A lifting device designed to lift a sack of potatoes is certainly different to a device designed to lift patients! Also MHRA class these devices as medical equipment, vis a vie the number of device alerts from them. Who maintains these items is the prerogative of the "management" in the hospital. EBME maintain a large number of items that cannot come to the workshop and require the skills of specialist firms for one reason or another. Finally before we all fall off our pedestals it is worth remembering we all maintain lowly equipment such as enuresis alarms as well as mighty ventilators and lasers oh skilled brethran. Double finally one last thought for our Estates colleagues is that without their power most of our equipment would not work. Oh to be so humble.

It's certainly true to say that hoists are "officially" classed as medical equipment because they are CE marked to the medical device standard - or at least the ones we buy are ! We only get involved if there is a fault with the battery / battery charging circuit.

Beds I'm not too sure as I don't ever remember seeing a PPQ form for one. But then I might have just posted it to my opo in Estates for him to approve !

It's certainly not the case that we feel beds are beneath us (no pun intended) but we simply don't have the experience, skills (like welding) or equipment (like hydraulic equipment) to do a complete job - and we don't have a big workshop area as they do in Estates.

The present arrangement works OK - Estates look at them first and if they are electric and the fault appears to be in the handset / control box, they ask us to sort it out. It's about finding the right level of cooperation.

I did not mean to demean Estates craftsmen - they offer a valuable service and are generally in the same boat as us ... UNDER RESOURCED. They follow a different training route to us and are usually more 'services' biassed (electric, water, buildings). Our estates dept has craftsmen, technicians and engineers. The craftsman are skilled in the work they carry out and could become an EBME technician (with the right training). We recently had one working with us for a month as an assistant (and to give him an insight into what we do). He was excellent and I'd have back today if estates would release him. He is studying electrical engineering and installation (to become a technician) - not appropriate for EBME equipment, but is appropriate for Hoists, and other associated electrically operated equipment such as couches and reclining chairs. Estates also have the space to work on large items of equipment and bigger hammers, we don't.

Regulation 9 of the LOLER 1998, states that equipment should be "thoroughly examined: -
(i) in the case of lifting equipment for lifting persons or an accessory for lifting, at least every 6-months .
(ii) in the case of other lifting equipment, at least every 12 months."

Your insurance engineer should also want to check these devices on a regularly basis and certificate as fit for use. The same as building passenger lifts!

Mark