Medical bed manufacturer Howard Wright has secured a significant public hospital supply contract with its new M9 Ward and M9 Compact Beds in the Australian state of Victoria.
Competing in the first state-wide public medical bed tender put out by Health Purchasing Victoria, Howard Wright has recently been awarded to this contract which runs from May 1, 2012 to April 30, 2015, for its M9 range.
While Howard Wright has won supply contracts in Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania, the Victorian state contract is a coup, says the company’s chief executive Bruce Moller.
“Being awarded to this contract is a reflection of the level of research and development that we put into the design of each bed to simply make human care easier,” says Moller.
“Our high standards of manufacturing mean the beds are long-lasting as well as being easy to use, maintain and clean. This a fantastic boost for the company being able to sell into such a large part of the Australian market.”
With Victoria’s population being approximately 5.5 million, the new contract means more than 150 public health facilities across Australia will be able to purchase the M9 – the next generation in medical beds from Howard Wright’s design team.
The M9 evolved from Howard Wright’s international-award winning M8 Intensive Care Bed which has won no less that four international design awards for its ease of use and extensive functionality.
Recognising that patient handling and lifting are key issues for medical professionals today, the M9 has been designed to dramatically reduce the amount of manual handling of patients. It’s new base and powerful electric motors mean the M9 can be raised as high as 800mm, but also lowered to just 350mm making patient entry and exit far safer and far easier.
And even at its lowest height, there is an ample 140 mm under-bed clearance enabling a wide range of patient handling equipment to be employed to move bed or patient with the utmost efficiency and safety.
In addition to curved edges and corners in the design improving hygiene, the M9’s new horizontal bar side rails are gas assisted for easy operation, and are also very quick and easy to clean.
Using either the on-board controls or the attendant control handset, the M9 can be configured into a full cardiac chair with sliding backrest and leg raise, as well as into trendelenburg or reverse trendelenburg positions.
In times of emergency, the M9 has a new, dampened CPR quick release function for the back rest.
The onboard rechargeable battery means the M9 can be unplugged, and the bed used anywhere without having to be connected to an external power source. And when it comes to moving the M9, the latest generation of German castors offer less rolling resistance and complete ease of manoeuvrability, says Moller.
www.howardwrightcares.com
