News tagged with 'Servicing'

Running a care home comes with enough challenges, and staying on top of equipment servicing and compliance shouldn’t be one of them. As you know, failing to keep up with inspections and maintenance can lead to equipment failures, staff frustrations, and, most importantly, risks to residents.

At Andway, we’ve built a servicing model that takes the stress out of compliance, ensuring your essential equipment is safe, fully operational, and compliant, at all times.

Regulations and Compliance

Regulations exist to protect both staff and residents, and staying compliant isn’t optional. 

Are you confident that all your lifting equipment has been inspected within the last six months? Do you have a system in place to prevent breakdowns before they happen? Here’s a quick refresher on what the law requires:

• LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations) requires inspections every six months for equipment that lifts people, such as hoists and slings, and annually for other lifting equipment.

• PUWER (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations) applies to general equipment, including beds and wheelchairs. While not legally required at set intervals, regular servicing prevents failures and ensures reliability.

Missing an inspection can put residents at risk, lead to costly repairs, and even result in legal repercussions. That’s why we use an internal scheduling system to ensure your servicing is always booked in advance. 

No last-minute scrambles, no compliance gaps, just peace of mind.

Scheduling and Repairs

When was the last time a crucial piece of equipment failed unexpectedly? Did you have to wait weeks for an engineer to arrive?

Our internal system tracks and schedules inspections, ensuring all recurring servicing is completed on time, every time. Engineers operate nationwide during standard working hours and are even available at short notice when needed.

During a visit, engineers will inspect and service equipment as planned. If a fault is found, they’ll complete a repair whenever possible –even right there and then if possible. If additional parts are required, they’re ordered immediately, and a follow-up visit is scheduled without delay.

Recently, during a routine LOLER inspection, our newest engineer, Simon, found a faulty hoist on site. Rather than leaving it out of action, we arranged for it to be collected that day (Thursday) and brought back to our warehouse for repair.

One of our brilliant engineers completed the work that same afternoon, and by Monday morning, it was back on-site in working order.

Contracts and Cost-Effective Packages

Every care home or facility has different requirements, so we offer a range of servicing options to suit different needs:

• Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) ensures six-month and annual inspections are always completed. 

• Fixed-price contracts lock in pricing for up to 12, 24, or 36 months, preventing unexpected cost increases.

• No call-out fee applies when servicing five or more pieces of equipment (T&Cs apply). 

Most of our group clients opt for a fixed contract, giving them predictable costs and guaranteed coverage for the foreseeable future. Once in place, there are no hidden charges, just straightforward, reliable servicing that keeps equipment working.

Why Investing In Servicing Pays Off

If a key piece of equipment breaks down, it can be a huge inconvenience. It can disrupt care, impact staff productivity, and even put residents at risk. Regular servicing can:

• Extend equipment lifespan – Prevents breakdowns, reducing the need for costly replacements.

• Train staff – Helps your team use and maintain equipment properly, improving efficiency.

• Protect residents – Ensure hoists, beds, and wheelchairs are always safe to use.

• Give families peace of mind – Demonstrates your commitment to high-quality care.

Nationwide Coverage and Experienced Engineers

Andway is a family-run business with a team of senior engineers equipped with decades of experience. We cover the whole of the UK and prioritise quick response times for servicing and emergency repairs. If equipment needs urgent attention, we’ll arrange for an engineer to be on-site as soon as possible.

For a partner that simplifies compliance, get in touch to discuss a servicing plan that works for you.

As of 2022, over 400,000 people lived in care homes throughout the UK. With the continuing demand for exceptional care facilities, it comes as no surprise that the sector is under more pressure than ever to meet the standards set out by regulators. 

As the country faces higher costs of living and tighter budgets, some care home owners may begin to question the necessity of regular maintenance checks on equipment. However, when using specialist equipment in healthcare spaces, care providers must stay in line with all regulations, including Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) and Care Quality Commission (CQC) guidelines. 

Why Are Servicing and Maintenance Important in Care Homes?

From keeping residents safe to lowering the cost of maintenance, regular servicing of care home equipment creates a better experience for everyone involved. Properly maintained manual handling equipment will have an extended lifespan and boosted reliability - because let's face it, no one wants to see equipment discarded because it wasn't looked after correctly. 

Another benefit of servicing your care equipment is the reduced upkeep cost. By spending small amounts of money now and again on maintenance, care homes can save extra cash in the long run rather than digging into the savings pot for replacement equipment. 

How Can I Effectively Service My Care Home?

Two of the most significant regulations for care homes are LOLER and CQC, both working to protect staff and residents against injuries and fatalities caused by faulty equipment and practices. 

Each year, various accidents and injuries occur within the health and social care sector due to incorrectly maintained equipment. Yet, by simply following regulations and actively servicing care home equipment, accidents can be prevented. 

Keep Safe With LOLER and CQC 

LOLER works to ensure that all lifting equipment used in the workplace is fit for purpose and subject to ‘thorough examination’. Care homes should keep up-to-date records of all examinations and any defects found. 

By keeping track of the age, model, number of repairs and any recommended improvements needed to each piece of equipment, care homes are in a much better position to manage their maintenance - let us know if you need help taking control of your LOLER. 

Much like LOLER, CQC help to regulate health and social care services throughout the UK and provide people with safe, effective and quality care. By monitoring and inspecting services, the Care Quality Commission help to protect care organisations from reputational risks while increasing patient safety. 

When Should I Service My Care Home Equipment? 

CQC inspections occur every five years, but complying with the LOLER Approved Code of Practice is an ongoing and more frequent responsibility.

To verify that all lifting equipment is safe for use, meticulous examinations should be carried out throughout the equipment’s lifetime. This includes before the equipment is used for the first time, before use at each location and regularly while in service. 

Unless there’s an ‘examination scheme’, lifting equipment and accessory inspections should be conducted every six months. 

Take Control of Your Care Homes Safety

We understand that equipment maintenance and servicing can be a significant investment of both time and money. However, it's essential to recognise the potential risks that staff and residents may face when equipment is not adequately maintained.

With the right guidance and routine processes, this vital aspect of care home management can be made simple, hassle-free and cost-effective. Want to learn more about how we can help ensure your care home's safety? 

Chat with a member of our team today!

Are you guaranteed a fast and effective LOLER service?

We know when it comes to care home equipment, reliability and efficiency is key. Care providers need safe, functioning equipment to effectively care for residents, as well as the guarantee of a rapid repairs service to reduce or avoid downtime.

How can we help? 

We partner with our customers, communicating in advance of, and after, any work which needs to be completed. This allows us to offer a fast, one-stop solution to any LOLER, servicing, maintenance or equipment repairs.

Our Servicing helpdesk provides over-the-phone support to customers with the aim of solving any equipment issues without calling out an engineer.

If our engineers are needed, they rapidly respond to call outs and carry essential parts so they can fix your issues there and then wherever possible.

Would you like to find out about our fast and reliable LOLER service?

Call our team on 01423 331000 now

We are here to help in more than one way, here's a little bit of sound advice for you:

With the emphasis on both mattress integrity for patient comfort and pressure sore prevention and ensuring robust infection prevention control, 6 monthly mattress audits are highly recommended and regarded as industry best practice.

All healthcare organisations must be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and be actively working towards improving cleanliness and reducing the infection rates in their organisation.

Regular auditing is just one action you can take towards meeting national CQC regulations and safeguarding your patients and staff. Being able to identify when products are no longer ‘fit for purpose’ will ensure that you always have the most effective equipment in use and enable you to maintain the highest standards of care in your organisation

Your decision as a Care Home Manager is very much around whether you decide to train your staff to carry out these audits or to bring in an outside and potentially more expensive external provider.

In-house training has the added training advantage of helping to raise awareness of mattress health, mattress checking and the importance of mattress condition in relation to patient well- being, comfort and pressure sore prevention.      

Helpful Online Audit Tools

There is an abundance on online tools available to download and use, here is just one issued by the NHS: 

http://www.infectionpreventioncontrol.co.uk/content/uploads/2015/07/Audit-Tool-Mattress-for-Care-Homes.pdf

Andway Healthcare offer Mattress Audits as part of our Service and Maintenance packages, prices given on application.