Transforming Paediatric Respite Care at Firvale Care Centre with Hannah Adjustable Care Cots

Based in Basingstoke, Hampshire, Firvale NHS Care Centre provides respite care for families with disabled children who have complex and specialist needs. Its service includes overnight accommodation for children who need extra support and safety, however demand can invariably mean some children cannot be catered for, due to the limited availability of high sided care cots.

Following a funding application to Hampshire Hospitals Charity, by the centre’s clinical lead, Ceri Claridge, two new Hannah adjustable cots have been successfully purchased and installed. These two specialist yet attractive high sided cots from Theraposture, with multiple safety features, have helped to expand the service and address the issue of fair service provision.

Theraposture is a leading specialist supplier of powered adjustable bed and care cots. Its range of variable height and profiling cots are renowned for high quality and durability with an infinite choice of widths, heights, safety padding and door designs. Their many practical and safety features ensure disabled children with wide ranging conditions are safe and sleep well.

In the range the large high-sided Hannah is ideal for active and larger children or for those with challenging behaviour. Theraposture was approached by Firvale to supply two of these cots so that they could expand service capacity and help more families in their geographical area.

Like many services supporting children with complex needs, Firvale faces increasing challenges around safe sleeping provision, capacity and equitable access to overnight care. The recent introduction of two Hannah high-sided cots has significantly transformed the service – improving outcomes for children, reducing strain on staff and enabled more families to access essential respite.

The challenge: safe sleep, capacity and equity

Prior to the introduction of the Hannah cots, Firvale had access to only one suitable safe sleeping bed for children requiring high-sided protection. “We were really limited with how many children could come in overnight,” explains Ceri. “We only had one bed… and that meant difficult decisions about who could stay.” 

Many of the children attending Firvale present with a wide range of complex needs, including tube feeding, respiratory support and significant physical or cognitive impairments. Many require a secure, high-sided padded sleeping environment to prevent falls, wandering or unsafe movement during the night. This created a bottleneck in service delivery. With only one appropriate bed, access to overnight respite was restricted to a small number of children, limiting flexibility and placing pressure on families and staff alike.

“How do you choose?” says Ceri. “It’s not as simple as how many beds you’ve got… everything has to be matched to clinical need, equipment and staffing.” 

By choosing these Hannahs we have been able to increase service capacity with confidence and strengthen our child-centric care.

The solution: two Hannah cots from Theraposture

Following due diligence Firvale selected Theraposture as the considered choice. Its Hannah cots were demonstrated via live video presentations from its headquarters in Westbury, Wiltshire. They were chosen by Firvale as unlike others, their range of features and benefits were far superior and represented outstanding long-term value:

• Extra-high safety sides and locking bar to prevent climbing, injury or falls
• Unique two-point securing mechanisms that can only be operated from outside 
• Electric adjustable sleeping platform for height adjustment so carers have a safe working height 
• Fully safety compliant with BSEN60601-2-52 (BS EN IEC 80601-2-52:2026) and BSEN50637:2017 (BE EN IEC 80601-2-89:2026).
• Latest auto locking hand control – the safest solution available.
• Doors on both sides for easier access for staff when providing personal care 
• Bespoke safety padding with unique colours plus soft windows for visual access
  both ways
• Mobile and ceiling track hoist compatibility

For Firvale, these features meant the Hannah met a crucial combination of needs – safety, accessibility and adaptability. “What we really needed was a profiling bed with high sides that had access,” Ceri explains. “The Hannah ticked all those boxes.” 

Immediate impact: expanding access and improving equity

The introduction of two Hannah cots has had a direct and measurable impact on service delivery. “Our services are more equitable now,” says Ceri. “From a managerial point of view, it’s more comfortable because we’ve got more equipment to offer the service to more children.” Previously, the team faced frequent cancellations and difficult scheduling decisions due to limited safe sleeping provision. Now, with increased capacity, the service can accommodate more children safely and flexibly. “It’s become a lot more equitable… and a lot more efficient,” she adds. 

For occupational therapists, this highlights the critical role of appropriate equipment in enabling fair access to services. The right intervention not only supports individual outcomes but can reshape system-wide delivery.

The Hannahs are beautiful… I’ve wanted them for ages and knew they would deliver a huge difference to everyone.

Benefits for children: safety, comfort and sleep quality

One of the most notable outcomes has been improved sleep for children. “The staff have all said that the children have slept through,” says Ceri. “Children who usually wake up in the middle of the night, haven’t been.” 

This improvement is likely due to a combination of factors:

• Increased physical security from high sides 
• Reduced sensory disturbance 
• Greater postural support and comfort 
• A more consistent and calming environment 

For children with complex needs, sleep quality is closely linked to overall wellbeing, behaviour and health outcomes. The Hannah cot provides a safe and contained environment that supports uninterrupted rest. The design also addresses risks such as climbing or falls – an issue Firvale had previously encountered. “We had a young lady who managed to get over the top of our previous bed… but not with the Hannah, it’s much higher,” Ceri adds.

Benefits for parents: confidence and peace of mind

While direct feedback from families can sometimes be limited, the impact on parents is clear. “The families say the kids are safe in them,” Ceri explains. For families caring for children with complex needs, access to safe, reliable respite is invaluable. Knowing their child is secure, comfortable and well cared for allows parents to rest, recharge and maintain their own wellbeing. The improved capacity also means more families can access the service, reducing waiting times and increasing fairness across the caseload.

Benefits for staff: safer handling and reduced physical strain

From a clinical and occupational therapy perspective, one of the most significant benefits of the Hannah cot is its impact on staff safety and manual handling. The electrically adjustable height allows staff to deliver care at an appropriate working level, reducing the need for bending, reaching, or unsafe postures. This is particularly important when caring for older or heavier children with complex needs. In one case, a child weighing approximately 50kg had previously been unable to stay overnight due to manual handling risks. “We tried it once… and the team said it nearly broke them,” Ceri recalls. “So, we made the decision not to continue until we had more appropriate equipment. In addition the cots are used during the day for clinical teaching and parent education, including gastrostomy care and other interventions.

Conclusion: a transformational investment

The introduction of the Hannah cots at Firvale demonstrates how thoughtfully selected equipment can deliver wide-ranging benefits across a service.  For children, the cots provide a safe, comfortable environment that supports better sleep and wellbeing.  For parents, they offer reassurance and improved access to respite. For staff, they enable safer, more efficient care and reduce physical strain. Finally for the organisation, they enhance capacity, equity and service delivery.

Reflecting on the impact, Ceri summarises: “They’re beautiful… I’ve wanted them for ages and knew they would deliver a huge difference. Thanks to Theraposture for their service provision as it couldn’t be faulted. Tom and Claire were excellent. For fellow healthcare professionals our experience highlights why it is so important to selection the best care cot provider. By choosing these Hannah’s we have been able to increase service capacity with confidence and strengthen our child-centric care.”

Thanks to Theraposture for their service provision as it couldn’t be faulted.