Obesity: Biggest threat to carers' health

Ferno has invested heavily in the development of bariatric equipment for the emergency, health and funeral sectors. Here’s why.
Obese patients take up extra bed spaces in hospital, require more staff to treat them and need an array of super-strength equipment to withstand their weight as part of their growing burden on the NHS.
Other patients can miss out on treatment because those who are dangerously overweight need two physiotherapists for their session, while fewer beds have been fitted into some wards because obese patients use bigger ones.
Nurses, physios and sonographers, who conduct ultrasound examinations, are suffering injuries as a result of looking after obese patients. The NHS is paying out up to six-figure amounts to settle lawsuits from staff who claim health service managers did not ensure enough staff or extra-strong equipment such as hoists, stretchers and wheelchairs was available to handle and treat the very overweight.
Physiotherapist Marsha Fernihough won £25,000 in damages last year against Warwickshire NHS primary care trust when she ended up unable to work for 17 months and needed two operations after tearing her shoulder when a 20-stone patient fell backwards on to her left arm as she and a colleague were helping him learn to use a walking frame. She has returned to work but can no longer lift heavy items with that arm.
A paramedic sustained a painful back strain when trying to get a man weighing between 25 and 30 stone on a stretcher into position to come out of the back of her ambulance. The injury exacerbated her existing degenerative back condition. She claimed her employers had breached health and safety regulations by not undertaking an assessment of the risk to crews from bariatric patients. They denied liability but later settled for a six-figure sum when she took action through Thompson's solicitors, who act for Unison members.
Nurses are also at risk of accidents because they have to regularly turn obese patients to avoid them getting pressure ulcers (bed sores).
Growing numbers of obese patients prompted University Hospitals Birmingham NHS foundation trust to order super-size facilities such as bed spaces and examination rooms for heavier patients, as well as beds, mattresses and hoists for those weighing at least 160kg at its new Queen Elizabeth hospital, which opened in 2010.
Higher safe working limits mean each ward has a heavy-duty commode for patients weighing up to 318kg, a ceiling track hoist with a weight limit of 450kg and a wide armchair that can hold someone up to 260kg, though three others can withstand 445kg.
Obesity costs the NHS £5.1billion a year in treatment and equipment. But the obesity report by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges this week warned that on current trends, it could become so serious that "the NHS can no longer cope".
Meanwhile hospitals in England reported 11,740 inpatient admissions with a primary diagnosis of obesity in 2011/12 according to new analysis from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC).
The report Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet, (you can read the full document here); brings together several sources of recently published information to provide a comprehensive picture of obesity related issues in England.
It also includes information about hospital inpatient admissions with a primary diagnosis of obesity and a procedure of bariatric surgery (procedures performed to help weight loss; including stomach stapling and gastric bypass), which shows that in 2011/12:
Hospitals recorded 8,790 inpatient procedures; nine per cent more than in 2010/11 (8,090) and over four times more than in 2006/07 (1,950).3
Females continue to account for the majority of such procedures; with 6,710 procedures for females and 2,080 procedures for males.
HSCIC Chief Executive Tim Straughan said: "It won't have escaped the majority of people that obesity is a high profile issue in this country. This annual report is important in bringing clarity to how this actually affects people, patients and the NHS, from the weighing scales to the operating theatre.
"Based on the Body Mass Index measurement, the proportion of adults estimated to be of a normal weight has dropped substantially since this report's time series began in 1993. This data, along with the breadth of other obesity related information in this report, will be of interest to the public as well as health professionals and policy makers."

On the up with Yorkshire Air Ambulance

Here are some of the Ferno team who have helped raise more than £18,000 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance one of several charities we are proud to be associated with.
The picture shows (left to right) Yorkshire Air Ambulance Paramedic Andy Armitage, Ferno’s Penny North, Paul Chappell, Jon Ellis, Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s Paul Kilner and Ferno’s Ashley Dawes, Debbie James and Allison Rodgers who have all been involved in the fund raising
Ferno have cycled, played football, baked cakes and cooked lunch to raise £18,619.52 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
Some of the team were recently invited to a get together with the Yorkshire Air Ambulance at Leeds-Bradford Airport to celebrate the fundraising and to meet with paramedics, who regularly appear in the BBC’s Helicopter Heroes, to learn about their role as the region’s airborne life savers.
The Yorkshire Air Ambulance is an independent charity which needs to raise £7,200 each day to stay in the air. It operates two life-saving helicopters across the Yorkshire region, seven days per week, 365 days per year.
Nicky Massen regional fundraising manager for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, pictured shaking hands with Jon, said: “We cannot thank Ferno enough for their continued support. As an independent charity, having support from companies such as Ferno is invaluable.
“We have to fundraise each and every day of the year to keep the charity running, so donations like this really are significant, and allow us to keep both of the helicopters maintained and in the air saving lives.”
Staff at Ferno, which has also donated emergency medical equipment to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance previously, raised funds throughout the year through various initiatives. These included recycling cans, footwear and clothing, sponsored baking and lunches and dress down days each month when staff contribute £1 for the privilege of wearing casual clothes.
Ferno managing director Jon Ellis also cycled hundreds of miles in the Pedal for Pounds bike ride organised by Huddersfield Town Football Club. In 2011, Jon cycled from Brighton to Huddersfield and last year he pedaled from Yeovil back to the Terriers’ John Smith’s Stadium. This year he will cycle from Huddersfield through Hull, Scarborough, Harrogate and back to Huddersfield again as part of the “Keep It Up” campaign.
He told us: “The team at the Yorkshire Air Ambulance does a fantastic job and everyone at Ferno is very proud to be associated with an organisation that saves so many lives in the Yorkshire region. Every year colleagues at Ferno look for new ways to raise funds for this very important charity.”

Some dates for your diary

Conference season will start soon so Ferno is getting ready to attend several exhibitions and conferences in May and June. Here are some dates for you diary. We look forward to meeting with you if you are also attending.

Safety & Health Expo, NEC, Birmingham: May 14 to 16
Safety & Health Expo is dedicated to providing the safety & health industry with a comprehensive package of need-to-know information, bringing practitioners together with suppliers and specialists to share knowledge, debate issues and find best-fit innovations, solutions and products for their organisation’s needs.

Life Connections, Kettering Conference Centre, Northants: May 16 to 17
The hugely successful Life Connections multi-conference event supported by an educational grant from UCB Pharmaceuticals, attracts more than 600 delegates to visit stands like ours where we can show off our excellent range of products.
There are also a number of talks and workshops on a wide range of topics on emergency medical services - there are four today and five tomorrow.

World Congress on Disaster Emergency Medicine, Manchester: May 28 to 31
World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine has seen education as a key role in its development and to this end has held both World and Regional Congresses. The Congresses provide an environment to share experiences and network with colleagues. The WCDEMs contain a core scientific program presenting the developments within the field of disaster and emergency health, focused meetings for the various committees and task forces, disaster research workshops, and the General Assembly of WADEM. Over the years key collaborating organizations have included the World Health Organization, International Red Cross and Red Crescent, the military, and national and regional disaster and emergency medicine societies. Congresses have been seen as an excellent showcase for scientific and technical exhibitors who have sponsored some events and made presentations.

National Funeral Exhibition, Stoneleigh Conference Centre:  June 7 to 9
The National Funeral Exhibition at Stoneleigh Conference Centre was conceived in 2004 by the National Association of Funeral Directors and first launched in 2007. Although there had been a funeral show running in the UK for many years, the NFE is the first to run on a regular Biennial basis.

Ferno aids Canalside fire safety for Town

As Huddersfield Town partners Ferno is delighted to help out with the fire safety procedures at the Club’s Canalside Sports Complex training facility with our donation of two fire evacuation chairs.
Ferno’s expert employees also provided the staff at Canalside with on-site training on how to safely use the Saver Safe Evacuation Chairs, which can be used in an emergency to help injured people to safety – as current injury victim Danny Ward is demonstrating!
“We’re incredibly grateful to Ferno for donating these two evacuation chairs, which will improve the safety of our site,” Canalside Operations Manager Stuart Leach explained.
“Hopefully we will never have to use the chairs, but you have to be prepared to meet current regulations and Ferno’s support has been invaluable”.
“Ferno have been a tremendous supporter of the development at Canalside, having previously donated medical equipment to the Club’s First Team physiotherapy team.”

Have a good retirement Bob

Bob Ginter who has worked for Ferno Washington for 35 years heading up Human Resources will be retiring on Friday, February 22.

We wish Bob a happy retirement from all his friends and colleagues at Ferno (UK).

Jon Ellis managing director of the UK operation says: “Bob will be sadly missed by everyone at Ferno since it is always difficult to replace 35 years of experience within any organisation.”

Ferno on the field: Southend v Leyton Orient

It’s been a while since Ferno featured on the field but our Frac Immobiliser and Pole Stretcher made an appearance as League Two side Southend United claimed a shock away win against Leyton Orient in the first leg of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy southern area final.
Ryan Leonard scored the winner when he flicked the ball into the net from Sean Clohessy's low right-wing cross.
The hosts had numerous chances but Shrimpers goalkeeper Paul Smith made a series of fine saves to deny Lee Cook, Dave Mooney and Shaun Batt.

Flexible thinking helps HAVEN protect staff with new X Lifter

HAVEN Funeral Services, an independent funeral company which operates funeral homes across West London and Hillingdon, has acquired a Flexible Body Fridge and other equipment from Ferno.
The Flexible Body Fridge was developed by Ferno to answer a long-standing demand from mortuaries and funeral parlours looking for a competitively-priced chilled space solution in confined areas.
Quickly and easily assembled in a wide variety of locations, the Flexible Body Fridge uses a unique track and roller system, for ease of installation, with a two-way pelmet to keep the cold in, and ambient air out.  The versatility of the system means that a Flexible Body Fridge of any shape and size can be assembled to match any environment.
HAVEN’s Karen Petersen a former president of the NAFD said: “We were looking for a new refrigeration unit which would fit in well at our premises and, as a long-standing customer, Ferno was our first port of call. The refrigeration unit is a modern piece of technology, which is easy to maintain and can be adapted to fit any size of work area.
“HAVEN is committed to traditional values of support and dignity together with a caring, modern approach that means we continue to invest in up-to-date facilities.”
HAVEN has also acquired a Ferno X Lifter - a new lightweight body lifting solution for the funeral and mortuary sector designed to protect staff from strains when moving heavy loads. The X Lifter makes it possible for anyone to single handedly easily load and unload a coffin rack.
Miss Petersen said: “The X Lifter has made it possible for one person to comfortably handle most jobs and means that our staff are not subject to injury when moving heavy loads with conventional trolleys.
The X Lifter is available with two attachments - a tilting embalming top and a coffin frame. The embalming top comes complete with six body rests while the coffin frame has four rubber rollers that can be manufactured to suit individual needs and requirements. Customers can opt to have a foot pedal on the X Lifter and the innovative new design makes it easier than ever to operate, with no exposed wires.
We developed the Flexible Body Fridge following demand from our customers in the funeral and mortuary sector who were looking for a cost effective alternative to big fixed chiller units. When not in use the Flexible Body Fridge can simply be folded away, freeing up space and cutting energy bills.”
With the X Lifter we are really pleased to supply a product that the market has been demanding for so long. It’s great knowing Ferno have filled that gap. We have already had some fantastic feedback off our customers.
Ferno also offers a range of stretchers, trolleys and refrigeration units for the funeral and mortuary sector as well as an extensive after-sales service with repair and maintenance.

Robert Williamson R.I.P

Ferno Group would like to express their heartfelt condolences to Denise and family on the sad news of Robert Williamson who passed away on Tuesday, January 29.
Robert (also known as Bob to his Ferno colleagues) had a career with Ferno spanning from 2000 to 2007 having previously worked for Huntleigh Ambulance Division which Ferno acquired back in 1998.
Bob was a highly experienced Quality Manager having successfully introduced ISO 9001 within Ferno who have maintained certification ever since based on the solid foundation that Bob put in place before taking early retirement.
Bob’s commitment and contribution to Ferno over the years ensured continuous supply of quality product and he played a major part in the success of the business.
Bob will be sadly missed by all his friends at Ferno and we offer our support to Denise and family at this sad time.