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Guidance assessment consultation document for HTE10050 Bed frames for adults in medical or surgical hospital wards: late-stage assessment

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2 The technologies

2.1

There are around 117,000 general and acute beds available within the NHS in England. Some bed frame procurement in the NHS comes through NHS Supply Chain, and some comes through other frameworks. There is considerable price variation among the bed frames that are available through NHS Supply Chain's framework.

2.2

Acute hospitals provide care for people who are experiencing severe or urgent physical or mental health conditions. They are made up of different types of wards or units, each of which is designed to meet specific patient needs and conditions. This guidance covers medical or surgical units in which people are admitted for treatment of a physical health condition. These units include:

  • Acute medical units, which provide rapid assessment, investigation and treatment for medical emergencies. Patients typically spend no more than 48 hours in an acute medical unit.

  • General medical wards, which provide ongoing care for people with a wide range of medical conditions. Patients may spend several days to weeks on a general medical ward.

  • Surgical wards, which provide care for people before and after surgery. The length of stay can vary depending on the type of surgery and the recovery process.

Specialised hospital wards, such as psychiatric units, maternity wards and intensive care units, are outside the scope of this assessment. The following types of bed frames are also excluded from the scope of assessment:

  • ultra-low floor beds

  • bariatric beds

  • junior beds for adult patients with atypical anatomy

  • beds with integrated mattresses.

2.3

There are different groups of bed frame users (referred to from here as 'carers') and decision makers within an NHS trust. These include:

  • patients

  • family members and other visitors

  • nurses, nursing associates and healthcare assistants

  • manual handling leads

  • infection control and domestic teams

  • falls prevention teams

  • tissue viability nurses

  • physiotherapists and physiotherapy support workers

  • occupational therapists

  • portering staff

  • clinical engineering teams

  • procurement teams.

2.4

Many medical or surgical hospital wards will use electric profiling beds as standard. These beds can have many different features, with proposed benefits for patients, carers and other users.

2.5

Adult bed frames for use in medical or surgical hospital wards should demonstrate that they are compliant with the following safety standards and legislation:

  • BS EN 60601-2-52:2010+A1:2015, which applies to basic safety and essential performance of medical beds

  • BS ISO 22882:2016, which applies to castors for hospital beds

  • CE or UKCA marked, with evidence to demonstrate compliance.

2.6

Choosing a bed frame model within an NHS trust may be done through a procurement exercise that considers the views and preferences of different user groups within the trust. Trusts may choose to purchase a standard bed frame model that supports the needs of a range of patients, healthcare professionals and other users. Other specialised bed frame models may be rented or specially purchased to accommodate the needs of specific groups of patients.