A new British healthcare technology innovation is enabling NHS hospitals to discharge bed blocking patients to unlock capacity during the COVID-19 crisis.
The Komodo allows showering and toileting with reduced assistance from carers. This will greatly help community care in an emergency period when carers are in short supply.
The Komodo is battery powered and enables a wide range of elderly patients to be cared for at home by their spouse by reducing the physical efforts needed to get them to and from the bathroom, and to get them into position for toileting or showering.
There is no installation time as it is a mobile unit, and training for competent staff takes approximately 10 minutes. The Komodo in some cases can be activated by the user themselves, particularly to stand up from the seated position.
With the Government now providing emergency NHS funding to enable local authorities to prepare for patients coming out of hospital, plus the iBCF (Improved Better Care Fund £674 million), this equipment provision can be paid for from central funds.
For local authorities, investing in the Komodo for individuals in care homes or being returned to their residency, would be a great demonstration of deploying capital to support a labour shortage, and continue to provide the maintenance of dignity in living independently as possible at home.
As countries around the globe try to combat the coronavirus, experts in the UK predict that the number of cases will rise rapidly before they see the benefits of social isolation to, with luck, suppress the outbreak.
The NHS is taking unprecedented steps in order to free up 30,000 hospital beds, preparing for the peak of the Covid-19 admissions, which experts believe us just two or three weeks away.
For the NHS to cope with the predicted influx of patients, all routine operations such as knee replacements are cancelled for the next three months. There is also a significant drive to get as many patients discharged from hospital as possible.
With these measures in place, it may be possible to free up 30,000 of the 100,000 hospital beds in England alone.
However, for the patients that are discharged, sufficient measures and support need to be put in place to provide safety and quality of life for those individuals.
Cortech Healthcare is ready to make available the Komodo product across the NHS, occupational therapy and care home sectors to alleviate the pressure on these vital services.
More information can be shared on request regarding how NHS Trusts, local authorities and care home organisations can access procurement for the Komodo. Reach out to arrange a virtual demonstration.
