Ensuring Compliance in Assisted Bath Installation

Reval were recently approached by a private client seeking to replace an assisted bath for her son.

The previous appliance was removed due to its age and non-compliance with UK water by-laws. During a random inspection by the local water provider, it was found that compliance could not be provided by the manufacturer, necessitating the removal of the old system.

The Compliance Challenge

Non-compliant assisted bathing systems and manufacturers are surprisingly common in the UK healthcare market. As of 30th May, only two manufacturers, including Reval, are listed as compliant on the Water Regs UK-approved product and materials register. This implies that nearly 80% of assisted bath manufacturers selling and installing products in the UK are non-compliant, making them unsuitable for connection to the main water systems.

Client’s Dilemma

Our client requested our product specifications and compliance certification as per the 2024 Water Regs UK guidelines. Approval from the local water provider is required at least 10 days before installation to avoid serious practical and financial consequences. We provided the necessary compliance proof and a quote for our appliance.

The client, concerned about compliance, asked us to verify the compliance of the other manufacturer and model. We found that neither the company nor the model was registered or certified under Category 5 / BS6920. We communicated this to the client and provided evidence from the Water Regs UK register.

The Local Authority, despite the evidence, insisted that the non-compliant manufacturer assured them of their compliance, based on their past usage without issues. This stance placed our client in a difficult moral and legal position. After further discussion, the Local Authority agreed to part-fund our compliant appliance, although they disappointingly valued it at the same rate as the non-compliant option. Thankfully, the client chose to proceed with our product, ensuring long-term compliance and safety for her son.

This case is not unique in our experience with local authority social care departments. Historically, assisted bathing compliance has not been well-publicised by regulators and water providers. There is also a lack of enforcement and awareness by organisations like Trading Standards, MHRA, and CQC. Compliance with standards such as BS6920 is legally required, but responsibility also falls on owners, operators, and those involved in the construction and specification of healthcare facilities to ensure compliance.

In contrast, NHS Estates Departments have stringent compliance controls, ensuring only approved appliances are used in NHS hospital facilities. This is likely due to the critical nature of care and the need to maintain high internal standards to protect those at greatest risk.

Reval has been a proponent of quality and compliance in healthcare for over 20 years. The 2024 Water Regs UK guidelines provide clear directions for owner-operators and community-based healthcare providers. Enforcement of these guidelines is crucial to protect vulnerable individuals and ensure the safety of facilities.

Bridging Clinical Needs with Home Comfort: Reval’s Installation Feat in Swansea

At Reval, challenges are not mere obstacles,
but opportunities to innovate and excel.

Renowned for their assisted bathing range, Reval’s expertise usually shines in commercial healthcare settings, gracing care homes and hospitals throughout the UK. Yet, in Swansea, an unconventional scenario emerged. A request to specify for a domestic property.

This unique call to action, was one that Reval were more than ready to answer stepping up and working with healthcare services, a construction tram and architect.

While most of Reval’s installations are centred around commercial healthcare environments, every once in a while, a unique project arises. A domestic homeowner needed a solution that would not only meet clinical needs but would also fit seamlessly into a residential setting.

The Challenge

The primary challenge was the spatial adaptation of the domestic property. It wasn’t just about installing the bath; the house itself had to be remodelled to accommodate the practical needs of the patient. This required the integration of the expertise of construction professionals, architects, and occupational therapists, to ensure the environment was both functional and safe.

Solution

Reval’s Transcare Bath stood out as the most suitable clinical and safe option. The assisted bathing product is designed not only to aid in posture management but also to address the clinical condition of the householder. It’s a highly versatile bathing system, perfectly designed for patients with compromised posture control. One of its standout features is the vertical-raise side door, facilitating effortless patient access. This feature not only enhances the patient’s comfort but ensures caregivers can assist without undue strain, thanks to its high-low function. Furthermore, the Transcare system boasts a unique tilting mechanism. This function allows patients, even those with the most challenging conditions, to semi-recline, ensuring they can be fully immersed up to their necks in water, promoting relaxation and therapeutic benefits.

A thorough site survey was conducted, which emphasised the need for significant house modification to ensure a flawless installation. In partnership with the construction team and architect, Reval conceptualised a plan which allowed for the Transcare Bath to be safely hoisted through an upstairs window. The entire installation process was completed within a day, which included a thorough training session for the family and caregivers.

 

Focus On Resident’s Physical & Mental Wellbeing Through Spa Bathing Experiences

 

The care group Olea Care is well known as a mark of care quality, in fact their company philosophy is built around being recognised as a first choice provider of quality care. So it’s probably no surprise their focus on high standards is also applied to deciding whom they choose to work with to fulfill their quality-led mission.

Olea Care has been working with Reval since 2014. The relationship is built on the trust of a genuine partnership that together provides the people Olea Care support with the very best in bathing experiences for physical and mental wellbeing.

Described on the Olea Care website as ‘more than just bathing’ the hydrotherapy bathrooms featured across the new flagship development Fernlea, and the recently refurbished and developed Doves Nest site, are a real selling point.

Always looking for ways to improve their care facilities, and how they are experienced, Olea Care approved Reval’s designed solution to improve opportunities to access day-to-day wellbeing experiences through bathing.

With the Reval Cocoon Ergo bath in both sites, and a Caprice bath in one, the spa options on offer provide a quality spa bathing experience that would be hard to access even in a commercial day spa.

A place to unwind and benefit from the wellbeing of deep relaxation, the spa baths feature HydroSpa, a targeted muscle stimulation and massage system, AromaSpa, a relaxing or invigorating bathing experience depending on which essential oils are used, and ColourSpa to create a stimulating ambience through the use of coloured lighting for psychological and physiological benefits.

Ensuring everyone has the ability to access therapeutic bathing, Reval installed the Guldmann GH3 discreet overhead ceiling track hoist system. Comfortable and dignified for end-users, the hoist system allows those with mobility difficulties and disabilities to fully benefit from a fully immersed spa bathing experience without compromise.

Care Home Bathing Is More Than Just A Function

Leaders in assisted bathing solutions, Reval has always maintained one single working philosophy ‘To cultivate deep empathy for customers needs to provide and delight them with positive dignified and life-changing solutions.’

As pioneers in innovative assisted bathing design and manufacturing, Reval are now leading the way in health and hygiene technology. Very much the innovators, from design to manufacture, outstanding products are produced to deliver premium value and regulatory assurances.

Providing greater patient safety, maximum ease of use and accessibility for carers, and an unsurpassed end-user bathing experience, always drives this commitment.

Compromise isn’t in the company’s vocabulary, which is why Reval are so often selected to work with the countries leading luxury elderly care providers, such as Ashmere Homes.