Henry Bloom Noble Trust (HBNT) has bought 13 beds for Hospice and Rebecca House.

These will replace the current beds, some of which were purchased 11 years ago when Hospice moved to its current site but some were even older, having been moved up from the old St Bridget’s.

This meant that costly repairs were often needed on the beds, causing ’bed blocking’ while they were out of comission.

In keeping with the HBNT’s guidelines, they have not just replaced like for like but taken the opportunity to provide beds with lots of innovative features, incorporating some of the latest technology.

Hospice director Anne Mills said: ’We wanted new beds and we went to the Hospice UK conference and looked at all the beds there.

’We had a list of specifications based around maximum comfort for our patients, with ease of use for our staff. We also wanted the very best mattresses to prevent patients who spend a lot of time in bed getting pressure sores.’

A model of bed incorporating electronic profiling was chosen and these beds were trialled by the nurses at Hospice for two weeks. The main feature of electronic profiling beds is the ability for both patients and staff to be able to control the beds and move them up and down or into different positions, such as tilted or armchair, for maximum comfort.

Mrs Mills said: ’The right bed and mattress can enhance the quality of life of those who use them and patients feel more in control if they are able to reposition themselves independently. The new specification allows them to place the bed in a sitting chair alignment, giving our breathless patients comfort when trying to rest.’

Healthcare assistant Danielle Barton said: ’The beds have inbuilt weighing scales so we can weigh the patients whilst they are lying in bed.’

This is important as it means the weight chart can now be saved hourly and helps to indicate whether the correct dosage of medications is being given, or to assess lymphatic fluid accumulation in the legs.

The beds also have underbed lighting which gives a gentle glow, allowing night staff to check patients without disturbing them by turning on extra lighting.

The HBNT has bought 12, one for each bedroom in Hospice and a further bed for Rebecca House.

The latter’s caseload involves patients up to the age of 18 so a bed that could comfortably accommodate young adults approaching the upper age limit was needed.

The total cost for all the beds was more than £97,000.

Mrs Mills said: ’As a charity, Hospice relies heavily on the donations received from organisations such as the Henry Bloom Noble Trust, as well as the generosity of the Manx public, in order to continue to provide all the services we offer as part of our ongoing commitment to the health and care provision to the people of the Isle of Man.’