Bariatric Mobile Hoists | The Oxford Calibre Lift
Summary. Oxford Healthcare’s Calibre is a specialised mobile hoist designed for bariatric patient lift needs. With safety and convenience in mind, the robust Calibre can handle a mighty 385kg (850lbs) load. Seeking the ideal bariatric patient lift? Discover the Oxford Calibre today!
The handling of bariatric patients presents a number of unique challenges, not least the provision and cost of more niche patient handling equipment and additional staffing requirements. Bariatric people may also have associated medical conditions and therefore, demand very bespoke consideration when planning lifting and mobilisation activities; this is generally the case with bariatric clients. For instance, more than one care-giver is needed to assist in patient mobilisation and operation of the equipment, mainly due to the increased loads involved and inherent safety risks this poses.
Depending on individual needs, a care plan may dictate that a hoist is an essential part of their daily routine. It may be the only way, for example, for them to get in and out of the bath, bed, or even stand up from a chair. For others, it may be used more, in isolation, for very specific needs, or for rehabilitation purposes. These decisions are entirely dependent on the risk assessed needs of the person requiring care.
Bariatric Hoist Considerations
When considering equipment solutions to support the lifting and moving of bariatric patients, a mobile hoist may be one of the choices. Due to the nature of mobile bariatric hoists, their size usually dictates the environment in which they can be used effectively. In most cases, acute or large nursing facilities lend themselves to being more suitable. This is purely from a space perspective vs. the relative confines of a person’s home.
Mobile hoists help ensure that those who are caring for the patient, have a safer, risk-mitigated method of carrying out demanding moving and handling tasks, without causing unnecessary physical strain and/or injury. The benefits to this include reduced injuries to care staff and less lost time and resources, resulting in more cost effective and sustainable care in the longer term.
When selecting a bariatric hoist, the patient’s weight will be a dominating factor in the decision-making process. Lifts designed for bariatric patients are usually more specialised devices, able to withstand the increased demands that higher loads bring.
The Oxford Calibre Bariatric Mobile Lift
Here at Oxford Healthcare, we have a wide range of lifting and handling solutions and can accommodate a wide range of patients and their specific needs. Our bariatric mobile hoist, the Oxford Calibre, is specifically designed for bariatric patients, offering all of the usual benefits of a regular hoist, but with a significantly larger lifting capacity.
The Benefits Of A Bariatric Hoist
The Calibre, like all Oxford Professional lifts, has been ergonomically designed with close attention paid to patient positioning and carer interaction points. For instance, the over-sized push handle, purposely designed for multi-carer use and a foot-push pad designed to ease forward momentum during patient transfers. Additionally, for a mobile lift, it has one of, if not the highest safe working loads in the market today at a whopping 385kg (850lbs)!
An integrated precision digital weigh-scale as standard enables precision monitoring of patients, conducted in harmony with lifting and transfer routines. This clearly saves valuable time and effort where separate weighing devices are otherwise needed.
It has a large 6-point cradle which offers greater space and comfort for larger users. Powered leg positioning reduces the effort required on behalf of the carer to open and close the legs, offering excellent access around furniture and other obstacles. Twin pivoted front castors help with manoeuvrability and navigating room thresholds and uneven surfaces, particularly under load.
We strive to bring the highest levels of safety and convenience to our products, and the Calibre is equipped with the Smart Monitor diagnostic and service control box. On-board LCD read-out shows lift cycles completed, work completed by the lifting actuator and attempted overloads (above safe working load). In addition, a service reminder countdown helps ensure your lift is maintained in accordance with local country requirements.
Clinical Trials & Testing
This unique lift was fully tried and tested at the Kidderminster Hospital, Worcestershire, with the kind help of Barry Austin who weighed 47 stone at the time. Our engineers, trusted consultants and specialist teams worked alongside Barry to ensure all safety, comfort and ergonomic criteria was thoroughly reviewed and addressed. In addition, a bespoke range of bariatric slings, specifically for use with the Oxford Calibre were also under review.
These real-world, pre-launch trials took place with transfers from bed to chair and vice versa. This was in order to make sure the solution was both safe and effective. Barry was delighted with the lift and its capabilities and he remarked that he felt he could “Sit for an extended period on the sling in a chair without discomfort”.
Please read our Case Study – Oxford Bariatric Care , for more insight.
For Bariatric Solutions From, Oxford Healthcare, Contact Us Today!
For more information on the Oxford Calibre, our lift for bariatric patients, head to our website or, call 0344 811 1158 to speak to a member of our helpful and friendly team.
If you have found this blog helpful, then you may wish to read a previous blog on Types Of Hoists.