Case Study : Applewood Respite Centre

Opened in 2011, Applewood is a respite care centre for local families with disabled children aged between five and eighteen. With six beds currently, the centre is looking to expand its services so that it can support a further fifteen families across the Surrey County. Offering a mix of day-care and support services for overnight breaks, Applewood can accommodate children with a variety of conditions including Autism, Down Syndrome and Epilepsy. A range of specialist facilities, including assisted bathrooms with patient handling equipment, ensure a safe, relaxing and comfortable living environment for the children when they stay at Applewood.

After careful consideration, Abacus Healthcare was selected to supply and install a Scorpio Plus bath with integrated changing and drying platform and powered transfer seat. The bath can be raised to the most comfortable working height for carers, minimising the risk of injury and back pain. The transfer seat can also be detached and used as a wheelchair eliminating the number of transfers between the bathroom and other rooms. This makes bathing a safer, quicker and more enjoyable experience for both the carer and bather.

Elizabeth Mahdi, Centre Manager and qualified nurse, explains: “Here at Applewood, we are 100% focused on providing the very best care for our young people. We offer a variety of flexible care packages to families and always complete a series of comprehensive assessments prior to offering a place.”

Elizabeth continues: “This is absolutely essential to ensure we have all the appropriate facilities and support levels required to meet each and every child’s individual needs. My team and I are committed to providing a calming and friendly atmosphere where children feel safe, secure and totally relaxed. Being able to provide assisted bathing is a crucial part of our service and it helps meet our obligations with regards to duty of care.”

“My care team and our children have benefited significantly from the installation of the new Scorpio Plus bath. It can be raised higher than our previous bath which is important as it protects the staff from potential back injuries. Following a hands-on product demonstration by Bob Gibbs from Abacus, we decided the Scorpio Plus bath would be the ideal bathing solution to meet our needs. As we move forward introducing new and more specialist services, the Scorpio Plus will help us to continue delivering quality care.”

The Installation

Abacus managed every aspect of the project, from initial demonstration through to site survey, bathroom design, installation and carer training. The Scorpio Plus was positioned so that it could be easily accessed from three sides by carers, allowing the safe and efficient transfer of children from wheelchairs or mobile and ceiling track hoists.

Abacus had to overcome a number of installation challenges at Applewood which included having to fit the bath in conjunction with its original underfloor heating system. Being an eco-friendly establishment, Applewood uses ground heat to warm the building through deep bore holes and Abacus worked closely with the original Architects to ensure the heating system was not affected. Linda Bolding concluded: “Bathing the children is so much easier now and this bath provides an excellent alternative to showering which is not always suitable in some instances.”