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Ski sheets any good?
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Mrs Noodles  
#1 Posted : 07 September 2012 20:35:04(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Mrs Noodles
I work within the Healthcare sector and was with a Fire Officer today on an inspection and he recommended the use of a ski sheet to evacuate residents with no mobility. Does anyone have any experience of these and are they expensive to purchase?
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John D C  
#2 Posted : 09 September 2012 14:46:21(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
John D C
Hi Ski sheets are excellent for evacuating bed bound patients when the bed cannot be moved through a doorway e.g. where the means of escape may be via a staircase. They should be left in pace under the mattress and therefore ready for use. They work by wrapping around the mattress and holding the patient in the mattress. Staff will need practical training in their use as they do seem a bit cumbersome when first looked at but with training staff become quickly aware of how easy it can be to move a patient. If you have a hospital close by which has some very old buildings they may well use them and it might be worth contacting them. Take care JohnC
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Mrs Noodles  
#3 Posted : 09 September 2012 22:59:57(UTC)
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Mrs Noodles
Hi John Thank you for your reply. I will try and make contact with a local hospital. I suppose in the end it comes down to cost per unit but I have to say they do look a great solution.
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Hospital Boy  
#4 Posted : 10 September 2012 12:11:46(UTC)
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Hospital Boy
Hi, I work for a large NHS Tust with two acute large hospitals. PM me and i will try to help you, as we have around 1,400 of these ski sheets in use. Cheers HB
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elburt  
#5 Posted : 10 September 2012 12:52:20(UTC)
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elburt
Hi it depends what type of mattresses you have. If you have profile type mattresses the ski sheets are really good but if you are in care home healthcare and have divan mattresses (as many still do) you perhaps should look at something like the ski pad/albac mat style evacuation aid or you may need a mixture. Also ensure that each unit is assessed separately as we discovered one of our units had steep stairs so had to find an alternative. LB
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bilbo  
#6 Posted : 10 September 2012 12:57:46(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
bilbo
Mrs Noodles - if you do consider using these you will also need to consider the manual handling issues that will arise.
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Mrs Noodles  
#7 Posted : 11 September 2012 13:28:37(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Mrs Noodles
Hospital Boy wrote:
Hi, I work for a large NHS Tust with two acute large hospitals. PM me and i will try to help you, as we have around 1,400 of these ski sheets in use. Cheers HB
I've sent you a pm, thanks
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Mrs Noodles  
#8 Posted : 11 September 2012 13:30:16(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Mrs Noodles
bilbo wrote:
Mrs Noodles - if you do consider using these you will also need to consider the manual handling issues that will arise.
Hi Bilbo I'm aware of the manual handling issues that may arise for staff but thanks for the heads up. Currently in a couple of homes we have the evac mattresses in place which are also a manual handling issue.
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Mrs Noodles  
#9 Posted : 11 September 2012 13:32:41(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Mrs Noodles
Elburt wrote:
Hi it depends what type of mattresses you have. If you have profile type mattresses the ski sheets are really good but if you are in care home healthcare and have divan mattresses (as many still do) you perhaps should look at something like the ski pad/albac mat style evacuation aid or you may need a mixture. Also ensure that each unit is assessed separately as we discovered one of our units had steep stairs so had to find an alternative. LB
We do have profile type mattresses. I agree we may need a mixed solution and each unit will need to be assessed separately. I'd never heard of the ski sheets until the fire officer mentioned them to me and they appear to be a good solution in the right care setting.
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Psycho  
#10 Posted : 11 September 2012 13:53:03(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Psycho
a problem with ski sheets is the laundering of them they need specialist laundering on each patient change, due to infection control aspects, it was cost a fortune to get them washed, we went down the ski pad route but if you do get ski pads get the fully washable ones as we used one for a patient who callapsed on the top of a stair they grand slamed the thing vomit etc, only to find that they cannot be laundered (the top is cloth the bottom slide material) it made for an expensive single use item the washableones are made out of the slide material all over and cost a fiver more
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Mrs Noodles  
#11 Posted : 11 September 2012 17:10:58(UTC)
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Mrs Noodles
Thanks for the tip Psycho, like you say for the sake on an extra fiver.
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