How Medstrom’s medical beds are improving patient care
Over the past 15 years, Medstrom has established a strong reputation for supplying a range of innovative products in the specialist beds and surfaces sector. Formed in 2010 when a team bought out Hillrom’s bed management contracts, it has capitalized on sustained growth ever since and today stands as a significant, innovative independent UK manufacturer of hospital beds. Medstrom is the largest provider of ‘total bed management’ services to the NHS, with over 30 percent of the UK’s acute care beds and mattresses fleet under its management.
Rachel Apsey, Group CEO, begins with some key new product developments within the company: “We’re manufacturing medical-surgical beds now,” she announces. “We have an install base of over 20,000 units in the marketplace. Our Solo+ bed has been shown to significantly reduce patient falls in the NHS. That was one of our key drivers in the design of this bed, to make sure a patient can get their feet to the floor, as a lot of beds in the marketplace simply don’t go low enough. I have a background in nursing and it’s something I have seen a lot. It can create issues when a patient starts to mobilize. National statistics show that 700 patients fall from the bedside every day in the NHS.
Designed with care
“One of our missions with that bed was to offer a customizable height, optimizing early mobilization for all, but also to ensure it reaches a high enough height to protect nurses’ backs while administering in-bed care. We have achieved the only bed on the market with this unrivalled height range and the brilliant thing is that we are seeing significant improvements to clinical outcomes, which is what it is all about.
“A further recent development is our expansion into the mental health sector,” she continues. “Since Covid there has been a lot more awareness, but also greater challenges as mental health bed numbers are the only sector that is growing in terms of beds within the NHS. One of the challenges is that as patients become more acutely unwell; they need a more typical medical-surgical bed like you would see in a hospital. These beds come with cables and parts that can be removed and other features that pose risks to mental health patients. Working with four or five mental health customers who are immersed in that environment daily, we came up with a design which we presented to the NHS. The Medstrom Solo MH is a bed that offers a range of articulation for clinical positioning whilst also minimizing associated ligature risks. This includes concealing exposed cables, use of robust, fixed materials and simulating a ‘block bed’ aesthetic. It’s the most ligature-reduced bed on the market.
“The recent Budget highlighted the need for mental health equipment in accident and emergencies. Because of a lack of suitable equipment, mental health patients in accident and emergency departments sometimes require a nurse to always watch over them. We have a product that has been highlighted as a key need in the whole NHS by Rachel Reeves.
“The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA),” Rachel continues, “also highlighted a key challenge in the NHS. They raised a patient safety alert regarding pediatric, and lower weight, frail elderly patients, who are at risk of being trapped by conventional hospital beds due to their atypical anatomy. In response we have developed the Medstrom Solo Luxe, the only bed that is suitable for both pediatric and adult patients. The response to this product has been great and after some final tweaks it will be ready to be shipped in the first quarter of next year.”
Sustainable succession
As Medstrom’s product range has increased, the business has taken on new people and expanded its manufacturing footprint to meet the rising demand. Rachel
expands: “We haven’t had to change facility because we built it big enough to allow for expansion. Our manufacturing area consists of stations, where different components are fitted. The beds are transported between stations using automated guided vehicles. This increases efficiency and removes the need for any handling and lifting of heavy equipment.
“We’ve expanded the footprint of the area and added extra tool stations, which means that instead of building a bed in 30 minutes we can now do it in 20. Along with increased stations, and an increased product range, we have also increased our people. We multi-train our operatives so people are experienced with all aspects of the bed assembly process, increasing interest across the whole build.”
This latter statement reflects how people are at the heart of Medstrom. Says Rachel: “We’re passionate about our people. While there were three of us involved in the management buyout, we couldn’t have achieved that without all the people we have today. Two years ago, we set up an employee ownership trust (EOT), which means that every employee has a stake in the company. When we talk about growing profitably, it’s about making sure we are developing the right product for the right patient at the right time. Our focus is always on the positive outcomes. By focusing on the future of the company, which will be owned by the employees, we are making sure we build a sustainable business.”
International interest
As Medstrom continues its path of growth, as well as developing interesting new products with partners from a university bio-engineering department, the company is also expanding internationally. Rachel sheds some light on these ambitions: “In January 2025 we will be going to the Arab Health Medical Expo in Dubai, which will be very interesting. We’ll be taking products with substantial clinical evidence behind them, which are unique in the market.
“We have developed key partners in various countries in Europe and we are in talks with a company in New Zealand who cover Australia as well. We are also looking to the US and the significant opportunities that could present there. There is a lot of international interest, and we are passionate about bringing our products to the rest of the world.”