The Therapies Advisor for Wales, Alison Strode, has issued a warning over the safety of prescription beds following an incident in England.

In her letter of April 27, 2016, she said:

“I wish to bring to your attention an incident that has occurred in England that has been brought to our attention by the Deputy Coroner of Warwickshire.

“The incident relates to an accidental death that occurred as a result of a fall from a bed that had only two out of four of its wheels locked because it was pushed up against a wall. The deceased was found to have fallen between her bed and the wall of her bedroom because the bed had moved away from the wall due to the inner wheels remaining unlocked. The coroner has highlighted concerns that there is a risk of recurrence.

“Recognising the difficulties that are sometimes encountered in some domestic situations please could you reiterate to those staff involved in the risk assessment and prescription of beds the importance of following manufacturer’s instructions for ensuring that beds are safe, in the correct position and locked.”

The NHS National Director of Patient Safety will be working with the College of Occupational Therapists and other stakeholders to drive the development of new national resources to develop a standardised home visit framework. This will be an opportunity to incorporate and build upon existing national guidance on falls prevention and the safe use of bedrails.

Once new resources are available, the NHS Improvement will issue an alert to signpost to the new resources.