UNIT 'FLOATS' AMBULANCE PATIENTS OVER ROUGH ROADS
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AN OFF-CHANCE suggestion from Bostrom Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Northampton, specialists in designing suspension seats for commercial vehicles, has led to a development giving ambulance patients a softer—and safer—ride.
The firm sold some suspension seats to a Midlands ambulance authority. Drivers got a softer ride than patients so the firm suggested: Why not try the same system beneath stretchers?
The idea led to the Mediride stretcher suspension unit—priced at under £30.
It was seen by ambulance officers this week at their national conference at Brighton.
Suspension adjusts The important feature is that, irrespective of the weight of a patient the suspension is individually adjusted to balance the body weight against the suspension and, therefore, "floats" the patient over road shocks.
When the stretcher carrying the patient is placed on the carrier in the ambulance, the driver can quickly adjust the suspension to suit the patient's weight. An indicator automatically shows the correct mid-ride position.
One of the first ambulances fitted with the stretcher suspension has already covered 3,000 miles in Cardiganshire and found to be successful.
It is understood that a Midlands ambulance authority is fitting about 30 of the new stretcher suspension units to its existing fleet of ambulances.
About 1,000 ambulances are built in Britain every year—but chassis manufacturers would not find it economic to tool up specially and so standard commercial vehicle chassis with modified suspension are used.
Largest of ambulance-only-producing UK firms, Herbert Lomas Ltd., Wilmslow (500 a year) is sole distributor of the Mediride unit.