At present there are approximately 150 publically funded Loans stores throughout the UK. Loan stores are run either by Social Services, Health Services or as a joint venture between them. Their role is to provide equipment to vulnerable individuals within the local care environment. This equipment includes the provision of pressure relieving mattresses for those at risk of pressure ulcer development. The equipment is provided free of charge to the end user. Provision of dynamic mattresses is considered a therapeutic intervention (as opposed to a social provision as with basic bed mattresses). As such, the decision of what equipment each patient requires tends to rest with NHS staff, primarily district nursing services and community tissue viability nurses.
Equipment is stored, serviced and decontaminated in central warehouses frequently provided through local authorities. The scope of equipment provided and the geographical area each centre covers depends on local factors, predominantly funding issues.
Loan stores have a variety of purchasing options for equipment such as air mattresses. Equipment may be owned by the store, leased to the store through a fixed term lease agreement or rented to/through the loan store. Rental equipment tends to be used to fill shortfalls in equipment provision or short fixed-term patient needs where provision of owned loan store equipment would be uneconomic.
One key area for Loan stores is the sourcing of bespoke pressure relieving equipment to meet the needs of particular clients needs. Examples of these include the provision of unusual size and/or specification equipment such as those required for bariatric patients, or double bed mattress options. Squirrel Medical supply a range of double dynamic mattresses, 2.1m mattress replacements and armchair width air cushions.
