Conquest Hospital is a 418-bed hospital in Hastings, part of East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust.
Serving a population of over half a million across East Sussex, it provides a full range of acute services, including a 24-hour emergency department, consultant-led maternity care, critical care units, and specialist surgical services. As one of two main acute hospitals in the Trust, it plays a central role in delivering trauma and emergency care for the region.
Conquest Hospital
What healthcare challenges were Conquest Hospital faced with?
Advanced Practitioner OT Fran Edmondson got in touch with us, because several patients were stuck in hospital beds due to unavailable seating. This was delaying their recovery for discharge, putting them at risk of deconditioning. “PJ paralysis” as this is known, was setting patients back in their recovery journey due to a lack in equipment provision, an issue we are passionate about resolving and were keen to address at Conquest Hospital as soon as possible.
Specifically, the hospital was faced with 3 different patient scenarios:
- Patient A was bedbound over their 3-week stay as not strong enough to sit in a bedside chair
- Patient B had been in hospital over several months, experiencing a lot of pain and discomfort and was unable to sit in a tilt-in-space wheelchair for more than 1 hour
- Patient C was an elderly patient recently admitted who couldn’t sit in an upright bedside chair due to her health needs, so was confined to bed whilst awaiting the availability of a riser recliner chair
See Our Acute Seating Range
How did we help them overcome these challenges?
In our initial meeting we demonstrated our range of hospital seating to the Trust, and following this the Conquest team decided to trial and compare a range of chairs.
The HiBack chair, Lento Mobile and Somerset chair were trialled in multiple wards over a 6-week period, involving a range of clinicians from Moving & Handling to Tissue Viability and Infection Control.
The final choice was the Lento Care Chair, our original chair in the Lento range, which we delivered and providing training for all therapists who would be involved in using the chair throughout the hospital.
Critically, we were able to deliver superior levels of comfort with the Lento Care Chair, giving the patients freedom to sit out in the chair for hours at a time, due to the adjustability of the chair and its pressure-relieving features.
The purchase was funded by the Friends of Conquest Charity for the Occupational Therapy Team, who were really pleased to hear about the difference it was making for patients.
Physios and Occupational Therapists across all teams had the opportunity to learn how to adjust it and make sure it was set up correctly for patients who needed it most.
What impressed Conquest Hospital most in their dealings with us?
Fran Edmondson who chose the chair said: “I’m so passionate about seating and in particular getting this right within the acute hospital when people are at their most unwell.
The acute therapy team at the Conquest Hospital are so lucky to now own a Vivid Care Lento Care chair, funded by the Friends of Conquest. It’s already making a difference for those who needs additional postural support, making the chair fit the person!”
Discover the Lento Care Chair
How have our products impacted patient care at Conquest Hospital?
The greatest reward for us and the hospital therapy team was seeing the transformation in the patients mentioned earlier:
Patient A who was previously bedbound could now sit out in the Lento care chair every day to eat meals.
Patient B who couldn’t bear even sitting out for an hour, now felt so comfortable in the Lento care chair that she was sitting for a 5-hour period, achieving her personal goals of experiencing less pain and not being in bed all the time!
Patient C was now able to transfer into the Lento care chair, to help her rehabilitate and get back home.
Being able to sit comfortably for longer periods at a time also meant the patients could spend more time engaged in meaningful activities that they enjoyed.
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If you would like to help Fran and her patients get more care equipment, you can make a donation to the Friends of Conquest Hospital via their website: www.conquestfriends.co.uk.
