Date of release: 18 April 2023
Goldilocks certainly wouldn’t find the mattresses too hard or too soft in three new cots being trialled at New Cross Hospital.
Worth £1,500 each, the new cots, which are being used on Ward A21 Children’s Ward and the Paediatric Assessment Unit (PAU), have been introduced on a six-month trial to give those areas more capacity to cope with winter pressures.
Sarah Jones with one of the new cots being trialled
Lighter, portable and with large child-friendly images on the ends, they have clear sides that lift up and down to allow easy access to the patient and electric adjustment of the height and positioning of the cot at the push of a button. This makes for a pleasant contrast to the heavier, metal-framed designs traditionally used.
Sarah Jones, a Staff Nurse on PAU at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT), said: “The new cots are particularly good for respiratory patients because the patient is more visible with the clear sides.
“It makes the patient more visible and comfortable because you push a button and it raises the head or the feet. Because the framework is lighter, they are quieter when you lift the sides up, so it’s easier for patients nearby to sleep at night. The older, metal cots are much noisier.”
Mum of four Sarah, 41, from Tipton, whose children include a two-year-old, added: “They’re more aesthetically pleasing because of the teddy bear design. They also help as a distraction and conversation starter with the little ones because you can say to them ‘what’s the colour of the balloon on your cot?’
“They are really easy to move as well – the older ones are quite stiff but these move quicker and with less effort, it’s like the difference of having power steering on a car.”
Nic Bradshaw, Senior Sister on Children’s Ward and a mum of three from Heath Hayes, said: “I’d be happy for my children to be looked after in the new cots, and I think my children would be happy too as they look so inviting and they’re so modern. In fact my three-year-old might have stayed in one of these rather than crawl into my bed!
“The more open design of them helps children interact with others so from that point of view they’re really good.”
A decision on whether to extend the trial is expected to be made by the end of May.
Notes to Editors
- For more information, please contact Tim Nash on 07714 741097 or email tim.nash2@nhs.net
