Saving costs through reducing specials, increasing re-issue and recycling

Challenge 

Wiltshire local authority issued a basic, single motor 3 -way chair and if that was not appropriate, specialist chairs were considered. The specialist chairs were costly at around £2,000-£3,000, were difficult to adjust and clean and tended to be problematic to re-issue.

Solution

The Configura chair was identified as a product that could fill the ‘middle ground’ between the basic chairs and specials, and thereby reduce the number of specials required. After being on contract for about 2 years, Wiltshire were able to demonstrate a marked reduction in expenditure on special chairs and increased re-issuing and recycling at the same time. Effectively the Configura Rise and Recline chair became a ‘stock special’.

Implementation

Accora worked with Wiltshire to implement an extensive training programme which was delivered to Health and Social Care Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Tissue Viability Nurses (TVNs) across the county. ‘Seating champions’ were also identified in key geographic areas who were trained to a higher level to enable them to deliver training sessions to their colleagues, to cover for staff rotation and new starters. Bespoke training sessions were also developed for TVNs and District Nurses across Wiltshire, to enable them to set up pressure care cushions confidently. Overall Configura chairs proved to be a cost-effective solution which helped improve the provision of specialist chairs and better met service users’ needs.