Bristol based company Hydrate for Health Ltd is celebrating after being named as a winner of a Queen’s Award for Enterprise – the UK’s highest accolade for business success, in the category of Innovation. The award is in recognition of the impact their unique product, The Hydrant is having across the healthcare system.
The Hydrant is a simple, hands-free, drinking system designed to prevent dehydration in healthcare, making it easy for vulnerable people to drink without need of assistance.
The Hydrant simply clips, hangs or hooks on beds, chairs, wheelchairs and in many other locations. This removes the problem of reaching, lifting, or holding drinks and so gives easy access to fluids at all times by placing the drink next to the user.
The impact of effective dehydration on vulnerable people in hospital, care homes and in care at home is astonishing and has a huge effect on wellness, length of stay and infection rates. Dehydration is recognised as the cause of 2 deaths per day in the NHS. This issue regularly grabs nationwide headlines and until now there has been no simple solution.
The Hydrant is now being used by many thousands of people in hospitals, care homes and at home and is delivering visible improvement in the quality of life for the users. At the same time it is saving £millions for the NHS by preventing one of the biggest problems in healthcare from occurring and thus preventing admission to hospital or shortening the length of stay for patients.
Studies have shown a 35% reduction in length of stay and up to 100% reductions in urinary infections and, in hospitals, a £36 saving for every £1 spent through use of The Hydrant. Please email [email protected] for copies of these studies.
The Hydrant was developed as result of personal experience in hospital following a spinal operation by the company’s founder Mark Moran. It is now one of the High Impact Innovations within the NHS and is in use in many locations worldwide.
Mark Moran stated, ‘It is the perfect example of the ‘Low-cost / High Impact’ innovation that is behind the NHS drive to rapidly adopt proven products and services throughout the healthcare system via the Innovation Health and Wealth programme.’
According to Mark the best achievement is the fact that The Hydrant ‘Simply helps lots and lots of people on a daily basis to remain independent and dignified, making life easier and helps keep them out of hospital’
See quotes below or Testimonials on the website, and this video link: http://bit.ly/Hydrant1 Contact: Mark Moran, Chief Executive Tel 07808 169601 Email [email protected] Web www.hydrateforhealth.co.uk Quotes relating to The Hydrant:
“Just thought I best email today. I received my drinking cup thingy. I must say I cried because 13 years I have waited to be able to drink independently again. I honestly want to personal thank you from the bottom of my heart so few words for just a big thing in my life. Thank you and god bless.” Meg Spence
“I think the Hydrant must be one of the best things ever invented for disabled people. I care for a relative who is almost completely paralysed with MS and was constantly calling on me for drinks, because the medication she takes dries out her mouth. She is now able to reach the tube and drink when she wishes. Many thanks for the extra time you have given to me. ”Dave Hinxman
“The Hydrant is a wonderful piece of equipment. It means that patients who were unable to get a drink without asking for help now have full independence at all times. It is easy to use, and has passed all infection control tests run by our Trust so we have no concerns at all about patient safety. It has hugely improved the quality of life for our spinal patients and as such The Hydrant should be a standard part of any hospital’s armour in the battle against dehydration” Liz Evans, Nutrition Nurse Specialist, Stoke Mandeville Hospital
“I’ve been in trauma nursing for 20 years and this is one of the best ideas I’ve ever seen”
Squadron Leader Ian Slaughter, Officer Commanding – Nursing, Headley Court, The Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre
“Simply brilliant and brilliantly simple. The Hydrant should be on every hospital and care home bed in the country – it enables people to drink easily and without assistance at any time of the day. I have no doubt that it will make a major contribution to the reduction in dehydration related problems in the healthcare arena” Sir Ranulph Fiennes BT OBE, Patron of Hydrate for Health Ltd
“I would like to tell you of its remarkable effect on my wife’s hydration. My wife suffers from Multiple Sclerosis and recently has suffered from a dramatic deterioration in her condition. She spent a long time in hospital and is now, mostly confined to her bed. She has never been a natural drinker, (hydration, not alcohol!!), and so we spent a lot of time trying to encourage her to drink. She had been suffering lots of urine infections (UTI’s), which can be very distressing. The MS specialist nurse came for a review visit and with her had a Hydrant, for my wife to try out. We clip in to the side of her bed and fill it with soft drinks. She has never drunk so much, since having the Hydrant and as a consequence, has cut down dramatically on UTI’s.” Mark Stammers
“Hi Mark, just a quick update on Sam and her Hydrant!! We had a disco last night at work to celebrate Sam’s 33rd birthday and you will be thrilled to hear the unit works well with alcohol!! Sam, a bit tiddly, says it is the best gift she has ever had as for the first time in her life, she could get herself drunk!! You are her favourite person at the mo; don’t know if you thought you would ever be doing signed photos but if you decide to, Sam would love one!! Kind regards”, Amanda
“The Hydrant: cheap, easy to implement, solving one of the most basic problems in healthcare. Offering potentially the highest return to investment ratio of any product I have ever seen” Jim Easton, NHS National Director for Improvement & Efficiency
Background information on The Queens Awards
Approximately 150 Queen’s Awards have been announced this year for outstanding business achievement in the fields of International Trade, Innovation and Sustainable Development.
Winners of The Queen’s Awards can expect an invitation to attend a special reception at Buckingham Palace. They can also use The Queen’s Award Emblem in advertising, marketing and on packaging for a period of five years as a symbol of their quality and success. The awards are made annually by HM The Queen, and are only given for the highest levels of excellence demonstrated in each category.
To find out more about next year’s awards visit www.queensawards.org.uk
