We are now carrying out an additional brake check – Allehanda.se

answer to “Wheelchairs in the area are not up to standard.” (A5/4).

Thank you for your comments and bringing this matter to our attention.

At Örnsköldsvik Hospital, the condition of walkers and wheelchairs in the hospital is checked weekly, as well as their cleaning. In the event of a defect in these aids, the local coordinator must be notified and he or she can then request service or replacement of the aid depending on the defect.

Brake operation is a very important safety measure that is checked regularly. If a drift occurs, or the brakes do not work properly, it must be reported. In this case, it unfortunately seems that our internal routine has collapsed. Therefore, we are now carrying out additional inspection of the brakes of walkers and wheelchairs in the hospital.

Patients who have difficulty walking long distances come to the hospital using their own abilities or with the support of a companion and then borrow a temporary wheelchair. These chairs are mainly adapted for temporary transportation from doorways to units. Therefore, the implementation is also simple but practical.

Patients who cannot stand or move from one chair to another usually come to the hospital in their designated wheelchairs or by recumbent transport if necessary.

With detachable armrests, there is a risk of removing them and not recovering them so that the wheelchair becomes “defective” and does not have the security we require. For safety reasons, we cannot allow individual employees to install our aids themselves, as this requires expertise.

Maria Morean, local coordinator of Örnsköldsvik Hospital

Lena Nordqvist, Director of Assistive Technology in the Västernorrland region