Requirements
Chipstead Lake is a care home in Kent run by Leonard Cheshire Disability, a charity that supports disabled people to fulfil their potential and live the lives they choose.
In 2013, the manager wanted to review the home’s shower chairs and replace the old ones.
Challenge
Chipstead Lake residents have a range of highly complex needs. It was difficult to find a single chair that would meet all requirements, which meant the home was struggling to recycle and having to spend a significant sum on accessories.
This approach wasn’t cost effective, and the seating wasn’t delivering maximum value in the long term.
Solution
We conducted an audit of all Chipstead Lake’s shower chairs and recommended the RAZ AT tilt-in-space chair, which was new to the market at the time. It was highly adjustable, making it easy to meet a range of complex needs without the need for expensive accessories. The cushioning and padding would deliver maximum comfort while reducing the risk of pressure injury. And the stainless-steel construction meant the chair wouldn’t corrode and would last longer.
The RAZ AT was highly adjustable, making it easy to meet a range of complex needs without expensive accessories.
Chipstead Lake had historically used the Freeway range of shower chairs, and because staff were familiar with it, they decided to stick with what they knew. At the beginning of 2014, they ordered 9 Freeway T80 shower chairs to meet their immediate needs.
Fast forward 3 years to 2016, and the home needed 3 new chairs. This time, they chose the RAZ AT. The RAZ had gained a loyal following in that period due to its adjustability, pressure-relieving features and 5-year warranty. This reputational boost gave Chipstead Lake the confidence to invest.
After 3 years the Freeway chairs have started to require expensive and regular maintenance, in stark contrast to the RAZ ATs whose durability is paying dividends.
What’s more, the RAZ chairs have delivered additional hidden savings compared to the Freeway ones because their superior pressure relief is reducing the time and resource spent treating pressure sores.
As a result, Chipstead Lake is looking into purchasing more RAZ AT chairs in the future.
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