CASE STUDY: Etac R82 and Candor Care help rapidly install vital equipment at new care facility

As the health and social care system continues to increase capacity to help tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, Etac R82 has worked with the Care Plus Group as it transforms an empty care home into a new residential and nursing home in Grimsby.

Cambridge Park, formerly an empty care home bought by the Care Plus Group, is being rapidly converted to a residential and nursing home which will increase community bed capacity and help alleviate pressure at Grimsby’s Diana Princess of Wales Hospital.

A social business, the Care Plus Group works in communities across North East Lincolnshire and is a key part of the local health and care system as the local provider of NHS community health and adult social care services.

The organisation’s work falls into three broad areas – nursing and healthcare in the community, intermediate care between hospital and home and disability and rehabilitation services.

In January 2020, the Group purchased the Cambridge Park Care Home with plans to refurbish the facility and relocate its rehabilitation and re-ablement services from their current location at The Beacon in Cleethorpes.

Following the coronavirus outbreak, however, Care Plus Group agreed to rapidly refurbish the unit so that it could be made available to support health and care services locally.

Now the facility will be used to provide both nursing and residential care to those patients who need additional support after leaving hospital and before being discharged home or where individuals require a short-term intervention to prevent them from having to be admitted to hospital.

The unit, which is due to be open by the end of April, has 52 beds.

In late March, Etac R82 was asked to look at the building by Vicky Henderson (MCSP), the Moving and Handling Advisor for the Care Plus Group who has worked with the supplier on previous projects.

The company provided detailed plans and quotations later that day for 12 Molift Overhead Hoist Systems.

Etac says the information it provided supported Vicky in her case to provide the necessary hoisting equipment. Once approved, emergency COVID-19 procurement measures enabled the project to be advanced within days.

Given a two-day slot on Thursday 9th April and bank holiday Friday on the 10th to install 36 rails and 48 upright supports, the team moved quickly to carry out the work.

The installation was managed by Colin Williams, Category Sales Manager for Overhead Hoists. Adam Kew, Area Sales Manager, also dusted off his toolbox to assist with the installation, cutting rails and uprights supports all day, says the company.

Mick Walsh and Craig Nicholls, the company’s experienced installation engineers, focused on installing the equipment.

Due to the number of systems requiring fitting and the short time frame, Etac R82 were also assisted on the installation by one of their key partners Candor Care and their installation engineers, Karl, and Jordan.

Once a system of work was established, the teams quickly moved from one room to another.

Outlining the challenge of social distancing restrictions faced by the team on-site, Etac R82 highlights that the installation was arranged for a time when the area was empty, enabling Etac and Candor Care to work alone.

Another challenge the company faced was finding overnight accommodation as many local hotels had temporarily closed following the government’s lockdown measures.

Eventually, the company found the Oaklands Hall Hotel just outside of Grimsby was catering for key workers and a letter from the Chief Executive of the Care Plus Group allowed the accommodation to be booked.

Etac R82 says the new system provides full room coverage, allowing support workers and nursing staff to move patients freely within the room.

The hoist can also be used with the Immedia SatinSheet system provided to turn patients which can assist staff with personal care. The free moving Traverse Systems also allows staff to maintain good moving and handling practices whilst moving patients, enabling easy positioning and reducing the physical efforts required by the caregivers.

Jane Miller, Chief Executive at Care Plus Group who owns and will operate the facility, said: “The work that has been carried out is just phenomenal. This facility provides a new and additional 52 bed resource for North East Lincolnshire’s health and care system and in light of the current Covid-19 crisis this will be extremely beneficial.

“It’s just amazing to see the amount of work and the quality of the work that has been completed in such a short space of time”

Vicky Henderson, Moving and Handling Co-Ordinator, thanked Colin and the team for “working so flexibly and completing the job to such a high standard in the narrow timeframe given.”