Pillows

Tender description

The purpose of this PIN is to launch a period of market consultation and invite expressions of interest on some or all of the areas of interest. Suppliers wishing to express an interest in the PIN should respond with any relevant information and/or requests via the e-mail address: Innovation.Procurement@nuh.nhs.uk Please submit your response by 31.8.2016. Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust has identified and number of issues related to different activities in the clinical environment. Solving these issues is important for the Trust in its ongoing duty to improve patient experience, efficiencies and reduce running costs. The Trust believes the current products and services available in the market either don't recognise or don't address the problem properly. The Trust wants to raise awareness of these issues among the supply chain and indicate its intention to procure workable solutions that meet its requirements. The Trust then wants to challenge different sections of the supply chain to address 1 or more of these challenges, as these unmet needs are recognised to be applicable to all NHS organisations: 2. Patient support and comfort: Pillows provide a number of comfort and support functions for patients in hospital and care homes and their effectiveness impacts on the quality of the patient experience and ability to rest and recover. Typically pillows are used to provide: — Physical support and comfort when sitting up in bed; — Physical support and comfort when sitting in chairs; — Head and neck support and comfort when sleeping or lying down; — Physical support as part of pressure ulcer care and prevention. The same standard rectangle fabric, plastic coated pillow is used to fulfil all these different functions and fulfils them inadequately. Infection control concerns are also increasing in relation to pillows. Many doctors and nurses acknowledge the shortcomings of standard fabric pillows with plastic covers in providing necessary patient care, comfort and hygiene standards that modern nursing techniques demand in the fight against cross-infection. In addition, standard pillows tend to lose their shape quickly and are difficult to clean (or verify as clean), hence turnover of pillows is high, with the associated costs of purchasing new pillows and disposing of the old ones. The majority of pillows are disposed of to landfill or incineration, with few if any being safely and sustainably recycled. A rectangle pillow may not always be the best shape for different functions. Pillows are also used for pressure area care within the trust. To ensure they are used appropriately and comply with Infection Prevention and control guidance and pillow that is identified in a different manner would be preferred e.g. different shape or colour. The challenge to the supply chain is to design and supply a cost-effective means of providing the required support and comfort to patients that is hygienic, minimising cross contamination of HAIs, and minimising whole life impact on the environment. The solution may replace the current pillows or may be 1 or more separate items specific to the function needed.