Issue No. 107 July 1998
Trust invention will save over £300,000 annually
The Trust's pressure support system called Repose is now available commercially for use within the Trust
Given the
successful launch of the product at the European Wound Management Association
Conference and the very successful outcome of the Clinical Trial carried
out on high risk patients at the CRI, the Trust now expects the greater
use of the Repose product to deliver savings in excess of £300,000
per annum.
The benefits are as follows:
Repose costs a fraction of conventional pressure support systems and takes up a fraction of the storage space
Repose needs no electricity whereas other systems need a constant supply
Repose generates income for the Trust from royalties on every sale
Repose is easy to clean and is very portable
Repose is recommended by the Head of Infection Prevention and Control, Dr lan Hosein -The Chief Nurse, Mrs. Susan Hobbs -The Director of the Wound Healing Research Unit, Prof. Keith Harding -The Medical Director, Dr David Fisher Repose a stock item in the Trust stores and is available virtually immediately
How can I obtain these products or further information?
By contacting
Tel +44 2920 689703 at UHW - and speaking with Sally Rees-Mathews, Research
Occupational Therapist for details of the ordering process or technical
information. Also, by contacting Chris Morley on UHW Tel +44 1222
746549 for general enquiries.
Background to the product
Pressure sores and their treatment cost the NHS £lbn every year. In this Trust alone, costs are well over £500,000.
Staff at UHW have developed a pressure relief system (mattress and cushion) which can significantly reduce these costs without affecting quality of care. The mattress, complemented by a cushion, uses a very high tech material in a very low tech way. It has been developed over the past 8 years in partnership with Frontier Therapeutics Ltd. of Blackwood and is now marketed world-wide under the name Repose
A recent clinical Trial carried out at CRI, showed that there is no difference in the number of high risk patients who developed pressure sores when treated with the Repose - mattress or an alternative costing 30 times as much. Interestingly, only 2 of the 7 patients who asked to be withdrawn from the trial because of discomfort were using the Repose system.
The Trust have invested in development and patent costs to protect the process and Frontier have spent hundreds of thousands of pounds to develop machinery to produce the mattress. The revolutionary design also extends to the packaging which is a 4" diameter tube container incorporating a pump which automatically inflates the mattress to the correct pressure.
The mattress
and cushion are in use throughout the Trust in:-
Medical & Surgical wards
Trauma wards
Neurology wards
Operating theatres
Care of the elderly wards
High dependency units
Endoscopy suite
Special care baby unit
Bone marrow transplant unit
The product is light, portable and does not require electricity. It is
therefore particularly suitable for use in the community. A major market
opportunity has also developed in Nursing homes.
Much of the royalty income will be reinvested in wound healing research, patient care and further research and development activities within the Trust.
More developments using the technology are planned for this year. This newsletter is produced by the Corporate Administration's Office at U.H.W. Should you wish to make any comments or suggestions please contact this office on 02920 743394.
Extra copies are available from your General Manager.