The benefits of electric tugs have been reinforced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) which has suggested that the use of them in hospitals provides an ideal solution for portering staff, allowing them to perform their vital role more effectively.
Porters can often be so over-stretched due to manual handling tasks that it can have a negative impact on the delivery of patient support.
This has led to the HSE voicing its support of electric tug solutions, specifically because they allow operatives to move more than one load at a time – be that medical records, catering trolleys, laundry or waste.
The use of electric tugs to move roll cages and trolleys is already popular within industries as diverse as Retail, Aerospace and Construction where significant improvements in efficiency and safety have been noted.
MasterMover Sales Director Hugh Freer commented “by adapting technology initially developed for an industrial environment we have generated substantial cost savings for hospital trusts whilst improving safety within the wards and corridors”.
Offering the user full control, the SmartMover models have demonstrated their worth within hospitals around the country. Designed for regular stops and optimum flexibility. Tight corners, sharp turns, uneven ground and slopes are all easily navigated. The tugs also work on carpeted areas meaning nowhere is out-of-bounds.
Add to that the possibility of linking multiple cages or waste bins together in order to move them all at once and productivity is dramatically increased.
Then, for transporting gas cylinders, MasterMover offer the Gas Bottle Mover which holds 16-20 cylinders and moves them in a precise and controlled manner. This replenishment task is yet another that’s made easier by the use of an electric tug.
Recent research confirms the advantage that tugs can bring to hospitals, suggesting that portering delays can be a major cause of failure when meeting waiting times or extended length of stay targets. With service delivery performance being a key factor for NHS success the use of electric tugs offers a solution to assist trusts in meeting goals and enhancing internal patient transportation.
“With this in mind, it is little wonder that our electric tugs are already used to transport all kinds of loads in over 130 UK hospitals” confirms Hugh.
“We’re committed to ensuring our equipment performs as effectively as they can, working alongside trusts to support material handling best practice and creating solutions to suit hospital’s needs.
“We offer training, service, support and guidance on the techniques that can be used to deliver cost savings and greater efficiency; helping to improve what ‘already works’ with the aid of our technology.”
Hugh believes the NHS would benefit considerably from reviewing its entire portering resource and that the advantages of simple tug technology has the potential to be felt hospital-wide.