Britain’s first specially adapted ambulance for carrying obese patients hit the road a few days back and is capable of transporting people weighing more than 400 kg.South Central Ambulance Service built the vehicle specifically to tackle the demands of a sharp rise in call-outs to overweight patients. Its cavernous interior is more akin to a hospital ward than the back of an ambulance, with room enough for four beds and is fitted with all the latest life-saving equipment.
While a standard ambulance can only carry a person weighing up to 120 kg, the adapted mini-truck can carry patients as heavy as 250kg stone including their trolley. The vehicle can take a single person weighing up to 420 kg as well as the ambulance's two dedicated members of support staff.
Its most significant modification is a heavy-duty tail lift which can be lowered to the ground allowing even the heaviest patients to be raised into the ambulance at the push of a button.
James Keating-Wilkes, a spokesman for the trust, said it had resolved to create the ambulance after a rise in injuries sustained by staff trying to lift obese patients into ordinary ambulances.He said: “In recent years we have witnessed a dramatic rise in the number of calls to transport obese patients to hospital. We also struggled in many situations because our ambulances were not capable of carrying some very heavy patients and there were also a lot of injuries sustained trying to lift them.
He added that trust already owned the vehicle – originally intended to transport emergency heart patients – but decided to modify it at a cost of £5,000 as it was rarely being used.
As it is capable of carrying up to four ordinary sized patients, the vehicle can also now be used for attending major incidents where there are multiple casualties.
Its most significant modification is a heavy-duty tail lift which can be lowered to the ground allowing even the heaviest patients to be raised into the ambulance at the push of a button.
James Keating-Wilkes, a spokesman for the trust, said it had resolved to create the ambulance after a rise in injuries sustained by staff trying to lift obese patients into ordinary ambulances.He said: “In recent years we have witnessed a dramatic rise in the number of calls to transport obese patients to hospital. We also struggled in many situations because our ambulances were not capable of carrying some very heavy patients and there were also a lot of injuries sustained trying to lift them.
He added that trust already owned the vehicle – originally intended to transport emergency heart patients – but decided to modify it at a cost of £5,000 as it was rarely being used.
As it is capable of carrying up to four ordinary sized patients, the vehicle can also now be used for attending major incidents where there are multiple casualties.