The current edition, No. 1

Increased mobility
and self-mobilization
Page 2
More topics:
New Tunbridge Wells Hospital is leading the way ................ 4
Page 4
Setting an example in innovative change:
Hospital 301 in Bejing ....................................................... 6
With Porsche Consulting to
new Völker assembly lines
Völker beds for the
Hiléa healthcare
centre in Brazil
Page 6
Page 7
Mobile docking cart “Provi-Dock” for inwardclinical transportation of intensive care patients..................... 8
Pope Benedict XVI. receives Heinrich Völker ........................ 8
Trade fairs & Trainings; Bett-Man ..................................... 8
> Editorial:
> Products & Services:
T
A giant leap
Völker presents its Care Concept
A value-added concept – more time
to give dignified care
Völker wants to be able to offer more,
much more than beds. It is their firm
opinion that with the production of
healthcare and hospital beds a company
is responsible for a lot of things that go
beyond such a production. This responsibility derives from our customers’ objectives. So the prime objective in, say,
the care given to elderly people is to maintain each individual’s independence by
a provision of activating care.
This requires more than most healthcare or hospital beds can provide. It requires a nursing aid that allows activating care, encourages self-mobilisation,
protects fearful residents, activates immobile patients – and makes nurses’ work
easier into the bargain. “And that is exactly what we set forth in our philosophy,” the company says. “People in need
of care are especially entitled to being respected and to lead a life in dignity.”
The implemen­
tation of this core
state­ment was asked for
by Heinrich Völ­ker and was
realised in an up-to-date and comprehensive Völker Care Concept.
“If this then can also result in sufficient time for nurses to look after and
attend to residents and patients,” Völker
say, “we have lived up to our expectations and attained our objective: More
time to give dignified care.”
And the company’s claim was defined
in conjunction with all its staff: We think,
develop and manufacture for that purpose. Völker is certain that only if the
nurses’ work is made easier and more
pleasant can there be more time on nurses’ hands to spend on giving such a dignified care.
Völker found it important that prior
to any introduction of a really comprehensive care concept the needs, standards and expectations of residents and
patients in homes and clinics should be
surveyed. The choice of bed models can
then be geared to these results. Völker
standard beds are available for the ma-
gather around a table with external specialist experts and suppliers in order to
pool their knowledge. At both of our sites
in Witten and Hainichen, Völker hospital and healthcare beds are produced on
the most modern production lines, which
were developed in collaboration with
Porsche Consulting. The “Made in
Germany” principle lowers our error rates
and is viewed as a guarantee of comprehensive ‘Total-Quality-Management’,
which as well as the certification of all
production sites, also allows for close
and continuous monitoring in accordance with Völker standards.
So why are Völker beds in
such global demand?
That’s because these are
products that facilitate dignified care.
Here the word “dignified” applies to
both the patient and the caregiver in
equal measure.
A Völker bed for the secondary care
sector, and one for the hospital. Both
beds are available in three model variants in order to take into consideration
the differing care requirements of those
who are very immobile or extremely fallprone. Each Völker bed provides support in helping others to help themselves
with the aid of its innovative design: the
Völker four column telescope lift
for increased safety during all manoeuvres, the Völker assist rail
system for support in self-mobilization, the Völker Microstimulation System for the
promotion of sensory perception and the prevention of pressure ulcers.
These pioneering
products equipped
Pioneering products with innovative
features generate added value
jority of those residents and patients who
can be mobilised by a
lateral transfer. The Völker
Vis-a-Vis activates people with compromised mobility by a forward sitting
position. And Völker low-level beds provide the best conditions for a care for
people at an extreme risk of falling out
of bed who feel safest at ground
level.
“We also call all three of these bed
models ‘pioneering’ because they are
fully geared to these three groups of
residents and patients with their rather disparate requirements and nursing
needs,” the company says. And: “They
also have a number of innovative fea> Please turn the page
T
Völker AG
> My Opinion:
he history of Völker beds be­
gan around 20 years ago. And
it still continues today. Völker
beds are now used in 53 countries around
the world, with subsidiaries in Austria,
the UK, France, Belgium and Spain.
Völker is represented by respected dis­
tributors in a total of 30 countries.
This is reason enough, I think, to report on their benefits not only domestically but globally as well. There is, after
all, a reason why the journal in front of
you is called Völker Wörld.
At present approx. 350 employees produce around 35,000 beds each year. In
so doing, Völker has remained true to the
high “Made in Germany” quality requirements, and as was the case in the past continues to produce exclusively in Germany
today – and for good reason. For each of
our developments, the experts from our
Development and Production Department
Völker AG
The hare and the
tortoise in Hainichen
ProSell!/Alexander Paul
A
gain and again we find that
Völker is considered to be an
innovative market leader in
the healthcare and hospital bed sec­
tor,” says Meinolf Köhn, the compa­
ny’s Sales and Marketing Director.
“However, the high quality and innovative features and the resulting price differential are not necessarily perceived as
added value, at least not at first.” And he
continues: “It is important to communicate Völker’s added value to residents,
patients and nurses as users and to operators as investors in a competent manner that is relevant to customer requirements” This resulted in the Völker Care
Concept, which focuses on the corporate
philosophy of providing dignified care.
“The products developed to support this
vision and their most important features
can be found around this core. And these
are, surrounded by, in our opinion,
unique competences.”
Völker beds realize
kinaesthetic concepts
Everything
under one
roof in
São Paulo
with the above-listed features are integrated within the comprehensive Völker
Care Concept. Customers in every country benefit from the additional, productrelated components. This includes, without doubt, Völker’s own drive systems
and also the possibility of running maintenance and service checks via the Völker
Diagnostic System. However, this also
includes the hygienic undercarriage and
also the multi-award-winning Healthcare
Design.
Our comprehensive product knowledge contributes to the optimization of
care processes and minimizes the waste
of time and material, motivates patients
and residents and thus produces satisfied
employees as well. All in all this creates
considerable added value, which makes
Völker beds an investment that really
pays off – that’s what I think anyway.
Heinrich Völker
he objective
of the Völker
Company, to
produce the best
beds for hospi­
tals and care fa­
cilities, has lead
to a concept, which forms the basis
of all product features on the one
hand, and a host of competencies
on the other.
With this “Völker Care Concept”
the German manufacturer has succeeded in re-developing its healthcare
and hospital beds with a wonderful
consistency, thus fulfilling the wishes
of residents and patients as users, the
requirements of nurses and caregivers
and, last but not least, the expectations of operators.
Heinrich Völker, CEO of Völker
AG is of the justified opinion (bottom
of page) that Völker beds, even if slightly more expensive than alternatives,
are worthwhile for every facility due
to their enormous added-value.
Because the constant cost increases in
healthcare and in the hospital compel
those responsible to optimize procedures and processes. With each investment e.g. in hospital beds or healthcare beds, special attention is devoted
to the possible reduction of subsequent
costs – that is, to process optimization
and the resulting minimization of personnel costs. If, in such cases, management, doctors, caregivers and technical staff communicate on the same
wavelength when making the purchase
and each search for the best solution,
a decision in favour of Völker beds is
the obvious choice.
The fact that when making such an
investment in beds it is possible to take
into account the differing care requirements of residents or patients is a further advantage that speaks in favour
of Völker. A look inside care facilities
and hospitals will reveal that for around
60 percent of the residents and patients the respective basic model of
heathcare or hospital bed is perfectly
sufficient, while for around 30 percent (more immobile individuals) the
Vis-a-Vis is the ideal bed, and for the
10 percent or so who are highly fallprone a Völker low-height bed is the
one. Read p. 2 about this 60–30–10
investment concept.
“Movement is life” – this begins
with the stimulating micro-movements
of the lying surface and leads to macro-movements, which can also often
– due to the multi-functionality of
Völker beds – be carried out independently by the patient or resident (page
4).
We hope you find this new edition
of Völker Wörld magazine very stimulating.
Heiko Heine
Marc Theis
With the investment
concept “60–30–10”
Hiléa
ProSell!/Alexander Paul
A healthcare bed for all
Völker AG
Edition 1 · 2nd half-year 2011 · 5,000 Copies · Free of Charge · Information for people in healthcare
2
More competence
generates added value
In the latest Völker Care Concept, the
pioneering products and their innovative features are embedded in Völkers
core competencies. “These deliver real
advantages for the benefit of our customers,” Meinolf Köhn explains.
They include a healthcare design service which allows homes and hospitals
to develop a well designed healthcare environment. They also include expert advice not, only prior to a sale but also after. “This may, for example, be done
with the framework of a systematic, tailored partnership for the benefit of both
sides”, which is the sort of long term relationship that Völker has with many of
its customers. These competencies are
augmented by the company’s logistical
service ensuring fast reliable installation
and it’s Technical Service which is based
upon the Völker Diagnostic System and
delivers huge reductions in the time required to service a bed and provides com-
plete documentation on service history.
Another value added for customers,
the company’s medical competence, has
been attested to in studies on individual features, but also at symposia and by
various opportunities Völker provides
for the education and the training of
nurses.
Völker also includes in these core competencies the fact that its products are
made in Germany with a local supply
chain that facilitates a high level of quality assurance and continual improvement.
The company also points to the economic benefit. A selection and application of the afore-mentioned competences based upon what is actually required
at any given point in time for Völker customers means an optimization of nursing processes and a minimization of follow-up costs. “And this, in turn, means
more quality and better nursing standards, a satisfied staff, less fluctuation,
satisfied residents and a better utilisation
of the facility,” Köhn stresses and sum-
vides. They then have more time to spend
on the residents or patients care, even if
the time budget is tight.”
In total, the Völker Care Concept contributes to meeting customers’ individual needs. Meinolf Köhn: “Our customers can choose a selection of our products, features and benefits. They can pick
what they need to meet their latest requirements and standards, which in turn
allows for their facility’s success in economic terms.”
The Völker Care Concept is also the
basis for all Völker product developments
and defines the company’s objective for
a comprehensive partnership. And that
is exactly why people are put at the forefront and why Völker has a value-based
corporate culture that encourages partnership, dialogue, transparency and efficiency. “And it is in these terms that we
want to discharge our corporate social responsibility to both ourcustomers and
our employees,” Völker says.Heiko Heine
marises: “For nursing homes and hospitals, all this makes a partnership with
Völker an investment in a sustainable future.”
The very special advantage
for Völker customers
The Care Concept ensued from the
company’s CEO’s, Heinrich Völker’s,
vision, who had wanted to sell more than
nice and functional beds. It was and is
his intent that Völker beds first and foremost provide residents and patients and
nurses with more comfort and motivation. Völker wants more comfort and
motivation for residents and patients so
that these can live an autonomous life
and enjoy it, too. And he wants more
comfort in activating care. “Residents get
better motivated and are more satisfied,
a mood that will surely be conveyed to
and reflected by the nurses,” Völker is
sure. “And the nurses’ work is made easier through the residents’ self-mobilization and the other features the bed pro-
More about the Völker Care Concept at www.volker.com
ProSell!/Alexander Paul
tures to facilitate activating care, mobilisation and activation in order to mobilize, elderly, infirm and those with
chronic conditions.” These features include a four-column telescope lift, an
integrated assist rail system and a lying
surface with a standard Microstimulation System, optionally available with an active pressure reduction
system. Another innovation, which has
been a standard feature in hospital beds
and an optional extra in healthcare beds,
are Völker’s own motor drive systems,
which ensure safe patient positioning.
That is the only way to meet the required high safety and reliability standards and low-maintenance requirements. A Bus-based system was developed in conjunction with Porsche
Engineering. The individual electromechanical components communicate
via a LIN-Bus-System that is geared to
Völker bed requirements and capable
of controlling and monitoring the
different components and parameters.
Edition 1 · 2nd half-year 2011
The Völker Care Concept is the implementation of the Völker corporate philosophy. Völker
focuses on the very individual demands and different expectations of people in need of
care as well as their caregivers.
Besides value-added beds Völker offers many areas of expertise which can be aligned to
individual customer needs and contribute to targeted systems solutions.
> Products & Services:
A healthcare bed for all
With the investment concept “60–30–10”
Völker AG
A
ll bed manufacturers’ portfo­
lios seem to be very much the
same: a similar look, the same
functionality, the same benefit. How­
ever, if an interested party checks out
the details, the picture that emerges is
rather different and allows an evalua­
tion or, in business-speak, benchmark­
ing of the various manufacturers’ mod­
els. This fashionable phrase means
more than just a comparison. It means
an evaluation of one’s own product by
comparison with a peer’s or peers’.
And this reveals some very different
product strategies.
Völker is considered to be the innovative market leader in the field of advanced hospital
beds. Pioneering products with innovative features provide more independency of patients, residents and also facilitates the work of caregivers.
The consequences
of the segmentation of price
A first comparison is mostly based upon catalogues and brochures. As a rule
(and in contrast to a Website, on which
one can take the initiative oneself), they
are structured like a sales pitch and their
recurrent theme is the objective to present one’s own product as nothing less
than worth buying. Still, some perusing
will do to be able to identify two fundamentally different types of portfolio: a
wide ranging one and one focused upon
one single product.
The wide range includes various models for seemingly different price brackets. Otherwise, it would not make much
necessary in both situations, providing
all that is necessary rapidly and/or permanently to resume an active life. It makes
sense that a company like Völker includes
in its mission statement that they will
build only one bed, come what may.
This means that all innovations that
support nursing are integrated in all
Völker beds. “This one-product principle does also allow us to provide an expensive bed at a comparatively inexpensive price. After all, we produce 35,000
beds p.a. in only one production process.
This means lower costs than in a production of five models in partial quantities,
differing in their design, their functionality, accessories and assembly,” says
Heinrich Völker. “We are always surprised when at trade fairs, for example,
visitors think our beds would cost twice
what they do.”
The best beds?
But how?
“For a 100 bed Care of the Elderly Facility this means that they should have 60 basic healthcare beds, 30 Vis-a-Vis beds for very immobile residents and 10 low
level beds for high fall risk residents”.
sense that manufacturers offer three segments – in terms of statistics can be expressed as, Low
Cost-, Middleand High-End
beds that by definition also have
to be of different
quality and use.
No wonder
then that this is
expressly elaborated, thus providing arguments for
a higher or lower
price. After all, an
»When being asked, Heinrich
Völker replies that he is sure that
Völker produces the best health­
care bed there is. Since we
entered the market about twenty
years ago, we have always built
beds that have advantages over
others , he says.«
operator is to be convinced of his very
own operating strategy that this or perhaps that product is exactly what he or
she needs. There is a catch, however.
Manu­facturers encourage operators of
healthcare facilities to position themselves by way of prices, although it should
suffice that the market accepts ‘good’,
‘not so good’ and even ‘poor’ healthcare
facilities, which in Germany at one point
was even to be advertised in the form of
a traffic light pattern.
The new standards, reflected in school
grades from 1–6 (German system: 1 is best,
6 worst), now support a multi-class society
and thus a pricebased market segmentation.
The reasonable
one-product-principle
This leads us back to what Heinrich
Völker as the manufacturer of Völker
beds has once said: There should be only one bed for all people: the best bed
there is. The right bed for everyone.
Nursing is a process that in hospitals
is to go from, say, a post-surgery situation with huge self-care deficits to a fast
recuperation. In geriatric care, the objective should be to allow residents a permanent and self-determined self-mobilization and to reduce deficits as far as
possible. Beds as medical products are
When being asked, Heinrich Völker
replies that he is sure that Völker produces the best healthcare bed there is.
“Since we entered the market about twenty years ago, we have always built beds
that have advantages over others,” he
says. Because from the very beginning
Völker focused upon designing beds that
benefit care-dependent people? “Yes, in
elderly care, I have always wanted to make
it possible for residents to be as independent as possible and thus to participate
in an active life in a self-determined fashion. This requires electrically operated
beds that are adjustable by means of hand
control units. The bed has to be stable
at every height. And all the protection
the residents need notwithstanding, it also has to be open.” This is a bed that
through a flexible assist rail system with
a central gap signals the residents: “You
can get up whenever you want!” and never makes them feel confined (Fig. 1–5).
3
Am
Vi s
In
i
o p ti m i z a t
ld
t e c ti o n
P ro
L
Fig. 11: In the second step, the technical details of the identified
deficits that had been discovered were fine-tuned thus equipping
Völker beds with unique product advantages.
prevention, therapy, prophylaxis, protection and activation (Fig. 10–13).
It is obvious that such a medical product – motivating residents and patients
and optimizing nursing – also provides
operators of healthcare facilities with huge
advantages. At a statistical nursing expenditure of about 13,000 Euro per bed
a year in elderly care and of 25,000 Euro
in hospitals and an optimization of the
daily nursing routines through the use
of Völker beds of only 10 percent, the
additional costs of a Völker bed will have
paid for themselves after no more than
four weeks, the entire investment after
one year (Fig. 10)1.
Investments à la carte: 60–30–10
Having thoroughly studied the nursing demand and potential, Völker has
completed its one-product principle in
a modular way. All Völker beds are based
upon the same basic design and can be
adapted to whatever users might require
by applying the modular principle.
The first new addition was the lowlevel bed. It was ascertained that in geriatric care there are always people who
will fall. Most falls occur outside the bed,
followed by those when people are transferred and about 10 percent fall out of
bed – even when the assist rails are raised
and continuous, mind you. For these
people at a very high risk of falling, the
bed’s body with all its advantages was
combined with a trapezoid undercarriage
that can be lowered almost down to the
floor, so that, in the worst case, patients
or residents will rather roll out of bed –
not fall out of bed.
The second new addition was the Visa-Vis: It was ascertained that post-surgi-
ization
erapy
i
m
n
on
Cost min
ti
estme
it
Fig. 12: Thus, carers were provided with a comprehensive concept, which ultimately expanded, simplified and, all in all, optimized all measures involved in activating care.
cal patients but also multi-morbid residents can only under great pain and with
huge expenditure (mostly by two nurses)
be laterally mobilized to get out of bed.
For patients, however, early mobilization
is very important if they want to get fit
again fast. For immobile residents, their
continual activation is an essential motivation to be nursed, dealt with and visited at eye level. Reason enough to modify Völker healthcare and hospital beds in
such a manner that from the lower-leg
part they are separable and can be shifted to the side. That way, residents and
patients can be forwardly mobilized from
lying down and sitting up to walking.
Studies and statistics generally show
that about 10 percent of the people in
healthcare facilities and about the same
percentage in hospitals are at a high risk
of falling. However, the number of such
people in healthcare facilities that have
specialized upon people with dementia
or in hospitals with psychiatric and geriatric wards is higher.
nv
f
Th
h
t
s
axi
iS ®
Prop
Pro
tion
S ®A c t i v
-I
yl
- h e ig h t b e
ow
it y
y
ion
Operator’s
benefits
turn-on
ut
lit
t e c ti o n
on
Re
M
li
ti m iz a ti o n
P ro
Q ua
s
Op
a s e d m o bi
m aximiza
Fig. 13: The three steps of the Völker Care Concept provide the
operator with a relatively short-term return on investment in the
case of continual use, and thus results in consistent corporate success in the long term.
It can also be statistically derived that
about 30 percent of hospital patients (e.g.
post-abdominal or post-cardiac surgery
patients, stroke patients or those suffering from neurological/geriatric diseases)
and such residents in healthcare facilities
(mostly those at German care level III)
cannot be laterally mobilized or only with
much difficulty.
This leads to the investment concept
60–30–10 as proposed by Völker.
“For a 100 bed care of the Elderly
Facility this means that they should have
60 basic healthcare beds, 30 Vis-a-Vis
beds for very immobile residents and 10
low level beds for high fall risk residents”.
Meinolf Köhn,
Völker AG Sales
Director, adds;
“Just as the advantages embodied in standard
Völker Healthcare
Beds pay for
themselves in one
year, the added value of the Völker low
level bed will pay for itself by preventing
fall injuries and the use of Völker Vis-aVis by saving on additional staff required
for patient mobilization; a fall can cost
10,000 Euro (surgery and rehab) and
mobilization expenditure amounts to approx. 30 percent of daily nursing routines. Heiko Heine
Sources:
Expertenstandard Sturzprophylaxe, DNQP 2005, Germany
Statistisches Jahrbuch 2006, Germany
1
stand: 2009
»Having thoroughly studied the
nursing demand and potential,
Völker has completed its oneproduct principle in a modular
way.«
Advertisement
ProSell!/Alexander Paul
The unique advantages of Völker
healthcare and hospital beds (Healthcare
Design, ergonomics, multi-functionality,
MiS®, MiS®Activ, assist rail system, lowlevel bed and Vis-a-Vis) were integrated
in a care concept as solutions. This care
concept is based on the needs of caredependent people and their requirements
(feel-good ambience, comfort, mobility,
therapy, safety, protection and participation in the activities of daily life). It also
shows how it can support, facilitate and
complete all nursing activities (environment, activating nursing, mobilization,
re
Beds with Völker Care Concept
en
v
Fig. 10: The first step for Völker in fulfilling the objectives of
their corporate philosophy was to find out the wishes and requirements of those in need of care.
That is the only way to convey self-determination. When the lying surface is
electrically raised and the stable assist
rails allow them to make a turn in the
direction of the central gap and the height
of the bed can also be electrically adapted to the resident’s height, self-mobilization, supervised or assisted by a nurse,
is finally made possible.
“The interplay of height adjustment,
positioning of the lying surface and the
flexible assist rails is a real advantage our
bed has,” Heinrich Völker summarizes.
What about the micro-stimulating lying
surface? “It allows residents to get a good
night’s sleep. They are motivated for the
new day. Our Micro-stimulation System
also provably supports pressure ulcer prevention.” Both MiS®, the Völker bed
standard pressure reduction system, and
the upgrade, MiS®Activ, were subjected
to clinical studies. They are currently part
of a geriatric care program, whose partial results have already been shown; how
it works compared with other lying systems (Fig. 6 and 7)1.
l s
ystem
Mi
Cure
Pre
Assist r
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Care
concept
Yi e
Mu
Product
benefits
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Se
Prec
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fo r t
Resident’s
wishes
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R e lie f
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ep e
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Co
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no
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Edition 1 · 2nd half-year 2011
Fig. 1: Full-length side rails do not prevent residents trying to climb over them and often lead to serious
accidents.
Fig. 2: The principle behind two-part assist rails is that they provide not only protection, but also serve as
an aid when sitting up, positioning yourself and standing up.
Fig. 3: Beds with two-part assist rails provide sufficient protection, with the central gap allowing for as
much protection as necessary and as much freedom as possible.
Fig. 4: If confused residents want to leave the bed unmonitored, the central gap provides sufficient space.
Fig. 5: For those who are extremely fall-prone, Völker developed a low-height bed based on the standard
healthcare bed, which can be lowered down, thus allowing the resident to feel very close to the ground.
Fig. 6: The pressure reduction system, MiS®, is built into all Völker beds. The system stimulates the central nervous system resulting in improved mirco-movement and patient mobility
Fig. 7: The active Micro-stimulation System also works on areas of risk via so-called activators and thus,
when added as an upgrade, makes for a comprehensive care concept for immobile patients, providing support in pressure sore prophylaxis and therapy.
Fig. 8: Residents and patients can only be mobilized from the standard healthcare bed with great difficulty, by means of a lateral transfer, often requiring the help of an additional carer.
Fig. 9: If a lateral mobilization is not possible, active independence is provided through mobilization in a
forward direction. For this reason the standard healthcare bed was re-developed to produce the Völker Visa-Vis, which provides a sitting position and contact with the floor.
Ever more hospitals prefer Völker beds.
After all, they know that healthcare design makes their patients get better sooner.
Only very few patients are able to rate a hospital’s medical services. What they look at is
their room and their bed. And that includes a hospital bed’s healthcare design, functionality
and comfort. Völker hospital beds meet all these requirements and thus contribute to your
hospital’s positive image.
The Völker Care Concept focuses on the very individual demands and
different expectations of patients who need care as well as their caregivers.
For more information please visit: www.volker.com
Völker AG · Wullener Feld 79 · 58454 Witten · Germany · Phone: +49 2302 96096-0 · Fax -16
4
> Reference:
A single room for every patient
New Tunbridge Wells Hospital is leading the way
Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust is a large acute hospital trust. It provides a full range of general hospital services to around 500,000 people living in
the south of west Kent and parts of north east Sussex.
sadly lacking in many hospitals in the
UK. Although this means that ward
rounds can take a little longer, patients
tend to talk more frankly because they
know they aren’t being overheard. This
open communication naturally benefits
both doctors and patients.
Another reason to provide each patient
with their own room was to improve infection control management. A hand
wash basin is located in the room for staff
as well as patients to use (and a second
can be found in the en suite). In addition, many of the wash taps in the hospital are fitted with a sensor to turn on
automatically when a person places their
hands underneath.
Sue Tizzard, Principle Moving &
Handling Coordinator, led the team
which made the
decision to equip
the hospital with
Völker beds and
included representatives from
the departments
of Nursing, Man­
ual Handling,
Infection Cont­
rol, Electronic
»When you do look out of the
window, many of the rooms
overlook nearby woodland or
landscaping, a design feature
that research has found helps
patient recovery.«
The Human Body in Motion
All human activities and functions are
linked to movement. A human being can
do nothing without movement. This ap-
ing out and need to be at a low level. The
beds can be raised when necessary for
nursing and therapy.
Michael Chalklin, EME Services Man­
ager, was also conscious of maintenance
issues as the department supports all patient connected equipment in the hospital. He explained, “We don’t use outside
contractors for maintenance because it
is more expensive and can take longer to
Located on the same side of the room as the bed head is the door to the en suite shower and toilet. This short
distance reduces the chances of a patient slipping or tripping.
> Products & Services:
Increased mobility and self-mobilization
Völker beds realize kinaesthetic concepts
Völker AG
I
f residents or patients are provided
with activating care, then they, to­
gether with the support of caregiv­
ers, can learn to overcome or compensate
for the limitations of their disability.
Even though a considerable degree of
patience is required at the beginning of
these measures – on the part of the resident/patient, because his resources can
only be utilised to a limited extent, and
on the part of the caregiver, because a
greater amount of time is required at the
beginning – it will soon become apparent
that increased mobility is really worth it.
Early and regular mobilization helps
prevent decubitus, contractures, pneumonia and thrombosis prophylaxis and
as such the micro-stimulating pressure
reduction system is a logical addition in
every Völker healthcare bed. In cases
where self-mobilization is also a goal of
the resident/patient, this can be achieved
all the more easily by using the healthcare bed as a care aid: The varying abilities of the individual resident/patient
can be used intensively and can be encouraged gradually, at the same time assistance is provided for carers both physically and in the amount of time spent
giving care.
Medical Engin­eering (EME) and Tissue
Viability. “We first saw the beds at an
exhibition and quickly realised that the
unique design of side rails had major
benefits not only to prevent inadvertent
falls from bed but also as a handling aid
to assist patient mobility both when in
bed and when leaving the bed,” she explained. “Völker side rails are stress tested and designed to be used as a point
of grasp and leverage. The design also
allows the rails to slide neatly into the
frame, reducing impact with the patient’s legs when getting into or out of
bed and reducing the transfer gap when
transferring to another clinical surface.”
The team chose some of Völker’s Visa-Vis beds and low-height beds. The
Vis-a-Vis beds have the facility to separate at the point below the patient’s hips
to promote sitting with feet on the floor
and encourage standing directly from a
lying position. This model has been embraced by the Trust’s trauma and orthopaedic department as a huge benefit for
patients with a fractured pelvis and those
unable to roll to the side of the bed. The
low-height beds are ideal for those patients who are particularly at risk of fall-
have repairs carried out. We chose the
beds partly for their ease of maintenance
and our engineers were also given training by Völker which means that when
damaged we can swiftly repair them and
get them back in service.”
Nurses have also received training from
Völker in how to use the beds’ ingenious
system of ‘profiling’. This system of adjustable bed positioning, while providing the patient with multiple supported
lying and sitting positions, also reduces
and redistributes pressure to delicate areas and bony prominences such as the
heel and sacrum (avoiding pressure ulcer), improves respiratory function, and
aids digestion and circulation.
The beds can be moved rapidly and
effortlessly into key positions to meet the
critical care needs of patients during anaesthetic recovery and cardiac arrest situations. The calf sections can also be positioned in two ways that can enhance
vascular care, allowing Trendelenburg
(head down) positioning and upper and
lower leg section positioning and support. The patient can even adjust their
position without help from staff if they
wish.
Sue commented, “Völker beds assist
the multiple staff groups that come into
contact with them. The automatic functions built into the bed allow staff to select functions at the single press of a button that can take the bed to the correct
height and position for bed making, transporting and cleaning.
“Völker designers have clearly put a lot
of thought into the design and, although
it is still early days, the beds are living up
to our expectations as a rob­ust and flexible nursing tool.”
Suzi Lewis-Barned
Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
D
ORIS is the name of the 13
metre long pharmacy robot
which sorts and dispenses
medicines and delivers them via a hel­
ter skelter pipe to individual ward trol­
leys at the new Tunbridge Wells Ho­
spital in Kent which was completed in
September this year.
DORIS – given a female name because she is good at multi-tasking – has
30,000 packs of medicines at her metal finger tips. In the unlikely event of a
breakdown, DORIS can usually be repaired remotely by an engineer watching via a webcam. DORIS is just one
example of the latest state-of–the-art
equipment installed at the NHS hospital which is also the first of its kind in
the UK to provide each one of its 422
inpatients with their own en suite single room, complete with flatscreen TV
and Völker beds.
Rooms in the hospital – which cost
£232 million to build – have been designed to be bright and airy with full
height windows on one side for maximum natural daylight. One section can
be opened to allow in a steady stream of
fresh air, removing the need for expensive air conditioning systems. Window
blinds at the 1,007 hospital windows can
be adjusted to control the amount of light
but are sandwiched between two layers
of glass to prevent them from becoming
dust traps. When you do look out of the
window, many of the rooms overlook
nearby woodland or landscaping, a design feature that research has found helps
patient recovery.
Located on the same side of the room
as the bed head is the door to the en suite
shower and toilet. This means the distance between the bed and door is the
shortest possible and reduces the chances of a patient slipping or tripping. As a
further aid, the light in the bathroom
switches on automatically when the door
is opened.
The individual rooms offer patients
privacy and dignity – something that has
recently been highlighted in the news as
Edition 1 · 2nd half-year 2011
for these forces. Mobilizing a person
can assist them in managing their movement, as they ultimately require support to help them organize their body
weight as it responds to gravity. If people are lifted, one denies them the possibility of controlling their movement
and thus reduces their independence,
which is more of a hindrance than a
help.
People should generate and control
their movement themselves
The variable Völker assist rail system ensures that all activating care measures are carried out precisely, as the individual elements can be adjusted according to requirements, with two possible levels. Thus, the system also supports all mobilization and transfer measures and, through the separate used of the individual side rails
and the central gap, which is sufficiently large that the patient can stand up while the assist rails are raised, provides stable security during self-mobilization.
plies to both conscious activities, such as
eating, sleeping, working, reading, sitting, walking, perception and thought,
but also to vital functions, such as breathing, digestion, circulation and metabolism.
Inanimate objects are subject to the
forces of gravity but the human body
has to actively control and compensate
An important part of the research of
Frank Hatch and Lenny Maietta, the
two founders of kinaesthetics, focuses
on so-called ‘feedback control’. This
theory states that the feedback within
the body resulting from our own action
always forms the basis for our next action. Movements made by a human being determines how his senses perceive
the world. This is the reason why a person can detect how firm or soft a bed
is, for example, through tension in his
own body.
The fact that people are, in this sense,
feedback-controlled systems also explains why a person cannot lie peacefully. The changes caused by one’s own
movement is perceived as a stimulus by
the body’s sense of motion and is converted to information within the central nervous system. This information
then forms the basis for re-adjustment
5
The self-mobilization of patients using variable assist rails in combination with stable height adjustment and the individual lying surface positioning of Völker beds:
1) In the lying position, the elements at the head end can be raised one level as a small barrier that discreetly indicate where the edge of the bed is located.
2) The backrest section of the lying surface can be simply raised using the patient hand control unit and the upper torso can be elevated to a sitting position with
the help of the stable assist rail elements at the head end until.
3) Contact is made with the ground.
4) The bed can now be adjusted up or down using the patient hand control unit, until the individual ideal standing height is achieved, meaning that the patient
can stand up from the ideal height, without any bother.
through movement – which is again
perceived as a change and leads to another adjustment. Our own movement
is thus controlled via a continuous feedback system or error detection and error correction.
People are therefore motion systems,
who control their own behaviour through
their own movement and ultimately generate and control all of their own activities. Support must therefore be designed
in such a way that the person in question
can him/herself be actively involved in
their own movement. This interplay of
motion and counter-motion is also the
principle behind the patented Völker
Micro-stimulations System MiS®, the
Movement competence as the basis
for health development
The loss of ability to perform activities plays an important role here, in two
regards: A person feels ill because he can
no longer do what he normally does. And
he therefore has a reduced ability to regulate his internal processes.
People consider themselves as being ill
or disabled when they can no longer organize or control the movements that
form the basis of their everyday activities
and essential functions themselves.
This means that the development, expansion and retention of movement competence for the realization of human activities and functions represent
fundamental factors of the healing
process. Looking
at it this way, illness or health is
not a state, but
rather a continual learning process. The better a
person is able to
expand or adjust his ability to move, the
greater the potential of his health development.
»Mobilizing a person can assist
them in managing their
movement, as they ultimately
require support to help them
organize their body weight as it
responds to gravity.«
Kinaesthetic concepts
Hatch and Maietta tried to find instruments that help people to directly
make use of and apply insights regarding movement competence as a central
factor within the
development process. This resulted in
six kinaesthetic concepts. They describe
various vantage points, which, in interaction with the affected person in his/
Völker AG
patented pressure reduction system in all
Völker beds: The slightest movement
stimulates the patient or resident to mobilize themselves independently.
Every human action occurs in relation
to the individual’s own body and to the
physical or living environment. People
are therefore continually engaged in reacting to stimuli, in order to adjust to
the present situation and re-organize
themselves. A person is reliant on external help if he/she can no longer adjust to
the present situation him/herself. The
person requires help to produce and perceive differences in their own actions.
Völker assist rails are very stable, they provide safety and support to the patient. Due to their stability and
multi-function they also serve as lateral bed extension for special positioning.
her respective situation, assist the development of motion instructions that are
as pain-free and stress-free as possible and
support the learning process.
Concept 1 is that of interaction, and
emphasizes the quality of the exchange
between the patient and caregiver through
touch and movement. While healthy people are capable of structuring their lives
themselves, those in need of care require
support in varying degrees – ranging from
a high level of dependency to occasional instruction – in order that they can go
about their activities, the central question within each interaction is this: Does
this form of interaction help the patient
to do what it is that they want to do by
themselves?
The 2nd concept is that of functional anatomy and explains the anatomical
basis for movement and the interaction
between weight and gravity, and give
the caregiver a profound understanding
of the human body, whereby the emphasis is placed on the practical aspects
of movement.
Concept 3 of human movement highlights the interplay between the components of movement and the movement patterns that result from these
components. The movement instructions themselves are oriented to suit the
individual movement resources of the
patient.
Concept 4 is that of strain and describes the interaction of pulling and
pushing within the body as a motor that
drives movement in order to reduce
strain and promote self-mobility.
The 5th concept of human function
explains the basic pattern of all conscious and sub-conscious activities carried out by a person, whereby a differentiation is made between simple functions (positions and basic positions) and
complex functions (movement on the
spot and mobility).
Concept 6: Everything that people
do, they do in relation to their physical
or living environment. This can either
support or hinder the activity or the
learning of an activity by the person in
question.
People are considered ill or disabled
if, with regard to their motor skills or
mental ability, they are limited or not
capable of adjusting to their environment, or of adjusting their environment
to suit their requirements. The adjustment and design of the environment are
important and effective instruments that
enable caregivers to help the patients by
supporting their independence and/or
recovery of health.
Activating care:
Helping others to help themselves
The motivation of caregivers is often
a desire to help people. Frequently the
aspects of holistic, activating care are not
given due attention. Everything is taken
away from the resident/patient, because
he can no longer do anything for himself. Often, the terminology of activating care is misunderstood. Activating care
is not only about mobilizing the resident/
patient – activating care is the promotion of independence with the goal of
considerably reducing reliance on the
caregiver. The resident/patient should be
made to feel that they are being accompanied throughout the process – not that
they are dependent. Activating care means
helping people to help themselves, and
should be realized in a step-by-step fashion, following the kinaesthetic concepts.
If professional caregiving is oriented
towards the principle of holistic care, is
should be evident that the psychological
aspect of activating care should play a
significant role. For with activating care
it is not just physical factors that play a
role – a psychological aspect also comes
into play. Helping others to help themselves gives back a person’s self-security,
a feeling of self-worth and self-esteem.
Völker beds support
increased mobility
If the goal of activating care and mobilization is ultimately to help others to
help themselves, in the immediate environment of a patient, Völker beds are –
in the sense of the 6th kinaesthetic concept – an effective instrument that supports all measures.
Both Völker healthcare beds and hospital beds meet the prerequisites by providing a stable and patented telescoping
lift, an individually positionable fourpart lying surface compliant with DBfK
(Deutscher Berufsverband für Pflege­be­
rufe; German Association of Professional
Caregivers) and the patented assist rail
system. The combination of these three
innovative features and the possibility
monitored by a synchronization control,
which produces a level, horizontal position at all times – even following adjustments e. g. into the Tren­
de­
len­
burg/
Reverse Tren­delenburg positions.
Precisely adjustable lying surface
position
The four-part lying surface, also adjusted electronically using the hand control unit, includes the ergonomic integration of backrest, sitting, upper leg and
lower leg sections, in compliance with
the recommendation of the DBfK, with
the backrest section measuring 90 cm in
length. There is an auto retracting and
elevating backrest for the anatomically
correct adjustment of the backrest section (kinaesthetic space). This prevents
patients from slipping down, avoids pressure on the stomach area and improves
respiration. The backrest section is adjustable from 0–70°, and the upper leg
section from 0–45°.
Variable assist rail system
The two-part assist rails on either side
are produced using sturdy aluminium
profiles. When not in use, the four sides
are stored under the lying surface which
allows unobstructed access to accessories
or to the resident/patient, in all positions.
Even when raised, there is suitable accessto the resident/patient. In the raised
position, all four side rails move synchronously with the lying surface offering increased safety.
All side rails are height adjustable with
two levels. The first level allows the patient to visualize where the edge of the
bed is, and can be used as a mobilization
grip. The second level serves as protection against falling out of bed. The central gap between the two raised elements
can be used to exit the bed, with the elements themselves providing something
safe to hold onto (see image sequence
above). All side rails are fitted with a safety locking system which means they cannot be released by force and will flex when
under excessive load.
Völker AG
Völker AG
Edition 1 · 2nd half-year 2011
The variable Völker assist rail system ensures that all activating care measures are carried out precisely,
as the individual elements can be adjusted according to requirements, with two possible levels.
that they can be tailored precisely to the
individual needs and abilities of the patient, provide optimal support. With regard to self-mobilization, there is also the
added fact that the adjustment functions
can be operated by the patient/resident
him/herself, using the patient hand control unit.
Stable telescope lift
The height adjustment (40–80cm) on
healthcare and hospital beds is carried
out using the patient hand control unit,
via a three-stage telescoping height adjustable column, integrated into each of
the bed’s four legs. They are ideally statically attached to
the bed frame,
and prevent any
shaking, even if
there is an uneven
load. The two
synch­ronized, parallel height adjustment motors are
A matching combination
for self-mobilization
The Völker assist rail system for hospital and healthcare beds also serves as
an aid to sitting up, standing up and positioning oneself. It provides the ideal
support, as well as psychological and
physical security during mobilization and
for individual activities such as sitting up
and standing up.
Through the synchronized implementation of the ‘Raise Backrest Section’ and
‘Adjust Height’ functions, using the hand
control unit, the resident/patient can become active independently (see image sequence above). Heiko Heine
»Support must therefore be
designed in such a way that the
person in question can him/
herself be actively involved in
their own movement.«
6
“High Performance”
Setting an example in innovative change: Hospital 301 in Bejing
Völker AG
In the People’s Liberation Army General Hospital in Peking, 2.5 million outpatients are treated each year, and 80,000 admitted as in-patients.
“The improved performance, excellent quality and the price-performance ratio” were the decisive factors
for those at Hospital 301 making the decision in favour of Völker beds.
and technical specialists from across the
globe are permanently employed in the
medical and healthcare centre. It’s little
wonder that the management under
Director Guo Yu Cheng, became aware
of Völker AG and its “Made in Germany”
production.
The 301 has been a Völker customer
since its initial order of over 500 beds in
2008. The hospital is currently purchasing approx. 1,200 beds for the reconstruction of its internal medicine department
and a further 800 for the associated rehab
centre in Sanya on the Island of Hainan.
“The improved performance, excellent
quality and the price-performance ratio”
were the decisive factors for those making
the decision. In addition, the 3,800+ employees and patients are more than satis-
> Reference:
Everything under one roof in São Paulo
Völker beds for the Hiléa healthcare centre in Brazil
Hiléa
A
s the largest country in Latin
America, Brazil covers almost
half of the South American
continent. Since 1970 the country has
experienced a dramatic change in the
population structure. In the year 2000,
8 percent of the total population were
above 60 years of age, with forecasts
suggesting this will increase to 26 per­
cent by 2050.
One reason for this is the rising life
expectancy, which stood at 68.1 in 2000
and will increase to 77.9 by 2050 (United
Nations Population Div., CEI) – posing a considerable challenge for the
Brazilian healthcare system. Cristiane
D’Andrea, Manager of the Hiléa longterm care facility, is appealing to the government for adjustments to be made to
the health system as quickly as possible
in order to meet the requirements of this
population group.
Christiane took a similar approach
when developing her own project, Hilea,
a residential centre for the elderly. After
8 years of research into similar institutions around the world, she developed
business and construction plans which
attracted investors. Hilea became a reality in 2007.
Hiléa is a long-term healthcare facility, which combines different units under one roof. The residential and medical care facility, with rooms for staff and
nurses, as well as a dining room on each
floor, provides 119 private rooms. In addition to this there are 7 beds in the Semi
Intensive Care Unit. There is also the
option of supervised accommodation in
Hiléa. The rehabilitation unit has a training area for the activities involved in everyday life, including a kitchen, bedroom
and bathroom, as well as two physiotherapy rooms with the appropriate facilities.
Here patients are slowly reintroduced to
daily tasks. With these units, the outpatient area and the community centre,
Hiléa covers a total area of 15,000 qm.
to serve as an expert for a report on the
topic of “The Prevention and Treatment
of a Stroke”. The 4,000-bed hospital accumulates global expertise on the all of
the top medical issues.
The hospital maintains relationships
with academic exchange programs and
cooperates with clinics, schools and medical research institutions in more than 60
countries and regions. More than 1,000
national awards for excellence, success in
science and technology testify to the high
level of achievement. The WHO lists the
301 as an exemplar for paediatric hospitals
Every year 500 scientists, experts and
students visit the Peking clinic from
abroad, be it to give lectures or to take
part in symposia. Almost 180 professors
The Hiléa residential centre for the elderly provides space for a total of 120 residents. At the same time, 150 day-patients can also be cared for.
The goal was to develop a new concept for a healthcare facility for the elderly, that provided a wide range of services for people with medical, cognitive
and physical conditions and people receiving palliative care.
“The integration of these services, all
under a single roof, brought with it certain implementation challenges,” explained Luana de Alencar Radesco,
Marketing Manager in Hiléa. The desired hotel ambiance also had to fulfil
all the care requirements, e.g. in terms
of functionality. The turnaround and
integration of day-patients and permanent residents had to be successfully
managed.
The Hiléa residential centre for the
elderly provides space for a total of 120
residents. At the same time, 150 daypatients can also be cared for. “6 months
after opening, our capacity utilization
lies at around 30 percent,” said Luana
de Alencar Radesco. (*stand: 2009)
“There still exists considerable prejudice against long-term care facilities here.
The people in Brazil are very emotional. The atmosphere in the respective facility has a large influence on the decision as to whether a loved relative will
actually be brought to a care facility at
all. Therefore, together with my team,
I decided to opt for an interior design
team with a contemporary style. It should
fied with the choice: The beds from
Germany are “beautiful, comfortable and
durable”. They are used primarily in the
specialist departments for cardiology, endocrinology, neurology, orthopaedics,
neurosurgery, at the intensive care unit
and in the reconstruction of the internal
medicine unit. The hospital in Peking is
a significant link within the Völker network, which currently incorporates five
subsidiary companies and 34 partners
worldwide.
The word “network” is also analogous
to the hospital on Fuxing Road. Providing
healthcare services to the sparsely distributed rural population is not always a simple task, the administrative district of
Peking is by no means a cohesive urban
region either, but is more comparable to
a province, due to its predominant rural
settlement structure.
In order to have an impact across the
greatest possible area, the 301 works together with over 1,000 local and regional practices and healthcare facilities, such
as offering remote consultation for medical councils. In the hospital itself, more
than 2.5 million outpatients are treated
each year, with 80,000 admitted as in-patients, of which approximately half undergo surgery.
“He who knows his goal, finds the path,”
Lao Tse once said and this applies to the
highly ambitious goal of the PLA General
Hospital, to be a world class academic
hospital, as declared by the Beijing
Municipal Health Bureau on its website.
There is a popular legend that states
that in the past Chinese doctors only received money if their patient remained
healthy. However, while this myth, demonstrates an essential difference between
Eastern and Western medicine, it has no
historical basis. In China’s capital city and
Hospital 301, the fruitful common ground
of medical ethics that apply worldwide are
much more evident. Here, the only thing
that lies at the centre of all innovation,
modernisation and change: is the patient.
Bernd Harder
be elegant and classy in equal measure.
We made a decision in favour of Völker
beds, as the quality, safety and design
was ultimately very convincing. We
wanted to arrange our rooms to recreate the ambiance of a hotel – under no
circumstances should it resemble the
sterile atmosphere of a hospital
room.”
Taking into consideration the special
requirements of more elderly people regarding, for example, acoustics, appearance and ergonomics, the promotion of
independence and self-reliance is a focal point of the healthcare and medical
work that takes place on a daily basis in
Hiléa. In order to make logical use of
this independence, a large selection of
leisure activities are available to the residents of Hiléa: (Water-) gymnastics,
dance, singing, painting, cookery, discussion groups on art and philosophy,
memory training, cinema, photography
and trips to museums, parks and the
nearby shopping centre.
Luana de Alencar Radesco summarizes as follows: “To address the requirements and desires of elderly people here
in Brazil on a daily basis, this is the goal
we have set for ourselves.” Sabrina Simon
Hiléa
> Reference:
Völker AG
O
ne country, many worlds,” is
how China likes to be de­
scribed. “One clinic, many
tasks” – That’s how one could sum up
Hospital 301 in Peking in a single sen­
tence.
Diagnostics, therapy, medical supervision services, healthcare, research, teaching, collaboration and international exchange programs are all part of the service
at the People’s Liberation Army (PLA)
General Hospital. Founded and operated purely as a military hospital between
1953 and 1954, with the shortened name
“301 Hospital of the PLA”, nowadays this
large clinic is open to all citizens and foreign patients as well.
But it’s not only with regard to openness that Hospital 301, located in a metropolis of 15 million residents represents
the modern China. Health problems in
the “Middle Kingdom” have also changed.
An increasing number of heart attacks and
strokes are also the expression of a more
westernised lifestyle – and can now frequently be found in clinics.
It was for good reason that Radio China
International invited the Director of the
Neurosurgery Department at Hospital
301 to be a guest on their show. He was
Edition 1 · 2nd half-year 2011
Hiléa decided on modern
and elegant interior design
features, with Völker beds.
7
Edition 1 · 2nd half-year 2011
> Products & Services:
The hare and the tortoise in Hainichen
With Porsche Consulting to new Völker assembly lines
Völker AG
In the first circle, the individual motors are being built and then, via a tube system, fed into the two-side drive production circle, the second circle.
ProSell!/Giuseppe Fraterrigo
pecially if we wanted to avoid breakdowns
in the hospitals or care facilities.
D.K.: Another year was spent talking
to suppliers as this is a huge cost factor.
It is cheaper to buy parts from a supplier who produces the same part about
200,000 times than to produce it yourself 20,000 times. But when it comes to
quality – in this case, the beds’ safety,
since the parts make up the whole – Mr
Völker saw the necessity and determined:
“I will not only have a new development,
Sabrina Simon (ri.) from Völker Wörld talks with graduate engineer Demetrios Kappos (le.) from Porsche
Consulting and Jörg Waldeyer (ce.) from Völker AG.
I will have my own production.” At a
meeting in Witten in 2007 I then outlined what was possible and what processes they should employ, and Mr Völker
hired me to support him in this project
with my team.
J.W.: We wanted to contribute as much
as possible and let our gained experiences during the cooperation with Porsche
in the production of beds and during our
visits with suppliers – then still against a
backdrop of potential future co-operation – become part of the new process.
We wanted to exert as much influence as
possible but also needed a lot of input
from Porsche.
er one you can turn it in any direction.
But if both have a lip, only one direction
is possible. There is also a fuse protection
test done in between the work stages, not
only at the end. There is no other way to
do it with these ectronic components.
J.W.: We also needed cycle support.
Large-volume products like beds can be
made in pre-determined cycles without
any technical problem whatsoever. Our
own staff can do that. After all, a bed
leaves our assembly lines every four minutes. But small
parts require another approach.
Here we have some
items with a cycle
of only 30 seconds.
D.K.: You also
have to assume totally different material volumes. At
a 4min cycle, you
build 15 beds an
hour. At 30 sec cycles, you build 120 motors an hour. That is an entirely different
ballpark. The material has to be supplied
and the finished products shipped away.
VöWö: Let’s discuss the arrangement
of the assembly lines. You spoke of a figure of 8. What is the effect?
D.K.: This shape has the huge advantage that it requires the least space and
that the staff do not have to walk that
much. In other systems, you do a lot of
blind runs. This process has the advantage that different work patterns on variants are no problem. And it makes for
better quality because the entire drive is
made by one employee. But you need
very skilled staff who are able to assemble such a complex product. You find this
kind of staff at Völker.
The assembly line principle here at
Völker is called the hare and the tortoise
race. You always have one employee racing. This determines the cycle because
the other chases him. This makes for the
right speed, sometimes even a higher speed
Porsche Engineering
On behalf of car manufacturers, suppliers and also companies from other
industries, Porsche Engineering does
development work and pools the large
scale manufacturing, technology and
engineering experience, that are
Porsche’s competences and making
them available to third parties. Porsche
Engineering supports its customers in
the development of components, systems, modules and end products from
their conceptualisation to their largescale production along the entire product development chain.
» We found that the drive
systems were often not in line
with the high standards required
of a medical product and that the
production methods wouldn’t
assure their quality. «
because of the ‘chase’. You always want
to be ahead. This is a concept also employed at Porsche AG’s engine production.
VöWö: One last question: Why does
Völker do all this in Hainichen, when
this type of work is often relocated abroad?
J.W.: If an assembly line is as smartly
designed as ours, reducing the assembly
time for a drive to, say, three minutes,
then the labour cost saving in low cost
economies is so little when compared with
the material and logistics costs that production in Germany is very competitive.
D.K.: And that is the decisive factor:
When we talk about a relocation abroad,
for an efficient process it does not make
sense. The cost savings would be negligible, and the risks too great. You relocate
something, the process is less stable and
you have the problem that certain methods, for example, in eastern Europe are
not used in the same skilled way as they
are in Germany and the failure rates are
much higher.
Interview: Heiko Heine
Völker AG
Demetrios Kappos: We began with
“How do we want to produce these drives
etc.?”, while still achieving the required
quality standards set by Völker.
Jörg Waldeyer: In 2006, we asked ourselves “What should we do with the electronics?”. We visited our suppliers and
their plants but also investigated other
options with Mr Kappos.
D.K.: We found that the drive systems
were often not in line with the high standards required of a medical product and
that the production methods wouldn’t
assure their quality.
VöWö: So the reason for the development of our own drives was that the products available on the market – originally
developed just for furniture, – were not
up to scratch?
J.W.: Yes. The longer we observed the
market, the clearer it became that we
should produce the drives ourselves. After
extensive market analyses and visits with
suppliers we finally commissioned Porsche
Engineering to manage the project.
D.K.: Porsche Engineering were first
required to provide a initial analysis: What
is state of the art? We showed Völker feasible automotive solutions, plug-in contacts instead of solder contacts and the
BUS system, for example. On the basis
of this analysis, Porsche Engineering secured the development project as well.
J.W.: The result of the analysis was that
our suppliers did good work but there
was much potential for improvement, es-
D.K.: We know a lot of companies
which build similar products. You have
a ring system of 5 or 6 stations with the
products to be assembled circulating on
pallets. A worker takes one part and assembles it. But there is nothing you could
really call a workflow. Or they work along
a line and feed in products or individual
parts on so-called herringbones.
But at Völker, something completely
different developed. We now have two
circles, or rather a figure of eight, with
the circles intertwined. In the first circle,
the individual motors are being built and
then, via a tube system, fed into the twoside drive production circle, the second
circle. All rather simple.
VöWö: Simple in the sense of easy or
in the sense of comprehensible?
J.W.: Well, to make it so easy that a
worker cannot make a mistake and that
the monitoring works in such a way that
no defective parts are used, that all workers have just those parts available that they
need. They just have to take them from
the box that is showing a flashing light –
this ensures that the correct parts are assembled in the correct order.
D.K.: And that is the smart thing about
our process. Although it is simple, it was
also very smart to have it made so simple. The difficulty was to implement the
most technical solution in the easiest way.
But at Völker we have done it. Simple
might sound negative but it is so easy that
anyone could assemble the product without making a mistake. There is no photo sensor control since this would be too
prone to breakdowns.
J.W.: The only really technical aspect
is our test equipment. The automatic end
test equipment tests the products in a
staff-independent manner in order to exclude errors. This 100% control ensures
that only perfect products leave the assembly line. We developed this ourselves.
D.K.: But Völker still employs the odd
Poka-Yoke anti-fault principle. Think of
this: If you have a glass and insert anoth-
Porsche Consulting
Porsche Consulting GmbH is a subsidiary of Porsche AG, specialising in
implementation-orientated process
optimization along the entire valueadded chain. Völker consulted with
them at an early stage when developing the production facilities for its
healthcare and hospital beds – and it
was a huge success. So it was obvious
to develop the Völker motors and
drives assembly lines in conjunction
with Porsche Consulting in order to
further realise the vision of a lean company. All stages were then implemented within the framework of continual workshops for the Völker AG teams,
strictly in accordance with the zerofault policy: No faults may be accepted, no faults may be made, no faults
may be passed on. By summer 2008,
the production facilities in Hainichen/
Saxony had been built and that autumn the assembly was trained and
perfected. In 2009, 30 new jobs were
created and production commenced.
The electrical protection system tests the product between the individual assembly steps in order to prevent
possible defects.
Völker AG
T
he standard conditions for hos­
pitals and care facilities and
the demands placed on nurs­
ing are now such that durable and safe
medical products are de rigueur. So, in
2007, Völker decided to develop its own
drives and motors for its healthcare and
hospital beds.
The conditions were created by co-operating with Porsche Engineering. The
high production standard in the automotive industry was chosen very deliberately. This development was also accompanied by a permanent risk assessment by
an independent testing agency and a continual FMEA (failure mode and effect
analysis). The focus was placed on safety
and reliability, since a defective bed may
put patients or residents at risk. The second step was the development of our own
assembly lines in conjunction with Porsche
Consulting. For Völker this means that
production is always subjected to an improvement process and that the quality of
each component is always inspected by
our own Total Quality Management and
can be optimized.
Völker Wörld interviewed Demetrios
Kappos, divisional head at Porsche Con­
sulting and responsible for the optimization process optimization in the production of beds and since 2007 for the planning of the assembly lines for motors and
drives at Völker AG. Our second interviewee was Jörg Waldeyer, overall production manager at Völker AG.
Völker Wörld: Mr Kappos, today we talk
about how Völker’s drives and motors are
being produced. We saw the various assembly lines in Hainichen and were astonished at how different the processes are
when compared with other factories we
have seen. How did you tackle the project?
The automatic end test equipment tests the products in a staff-independent manner in order to exclude
errors.
8
Edition 1 · 2nd half-year 2011
Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers
Pope Benedict XVI. receives Heinrich Völker
blessing. On the occasion of this public holiday, there was also contact between Völker and the Catholic Church
in Poland. Here the nursing home for
elderly priests in Tarnow (Poland) received a Völker Vis-a-Vis healthcare bed,
which was blessed on location by Arch­
bishop Zygmunt Zimowski.
The Catholic Church is of great importance to worldwide public healthcare: It
operates 26 percent of all hospitals worldwide, and a total of almost 60,000 social
facilities – hospitals, polyclinics, clinics
for sufferers of leprosy, homes for the elderly and disabled, orphanages and nursery schools This commitment to dignified care is fully in keeping with Völker
AG’s corporate philosophy and the Völker
Care Concept developed from it. Heiko Heine
During his audience with Pope Benedict XVI., Heinrich Völker (middle) explains the Vis-a-Vis bed. To
his left: his wife Gertrud.
T
he 17th of November 2010
was a great day for Heinrich
Völker: On that day Pope
Benedict XVI. received the CEO of
Völker AG and his wife, Gertrud
Völker, for an audience in the
Vatican.
Previously in July, Archbishop
Zygmunt Zimowski, President of the
Pontifical Council for Pastoral Care of
Healthcare Workers, awarded him the
“Il buon Samaritano” medal during a vis-
it to the Völker headquarters in Witten.
This medal is the Vatican’s highest honour for exceptional work in healthcare,
and is rarely awarded.
The CEO of Völker AG considered
this a wonderful confirmation of the work
he has done – and the Völker Care
Concept that he developed, which places the emphasis equally on the demands
of patients and of caregivers with regard
to respecting and acknowledging their
work.
Hôpital Expo
22.–25. 5. 2012
Paris/France
Parc des Expositions
Hospitalar
22.–25. 5. 2012
Sao Paulo/Brazil
Expo Center Norte
EMWA
23.–25. 5. 2012
Wien/Austria
Austria Center Vienna
Cardinal Secretary of State Tarciso Bertone blesses the Vis-a-Vis in the presence of Curia Archbishop
Zimowski.
Imprint
Völker Wörld is a free-of-charge customer magazine of
Völker AG. It contains information for people in
healthcare.
Patient’s transportation made easy
Mobile docking cart “Provi-Dock” for inward-clinical
transportation of the intensive care patients
odukte
Provita
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he “ProThe docking cart “Provi-Dock”
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tors. The “Proviwas de­
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veloped in closed
docking on an intensive-care bed.
small elevators
cooperation with
based on its comour partners and
pact design.
hos­pitals in or­
It has been
der to ensure a
proven that the
safe and com­
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tion of tubed patation of pa­
tients can be retients.
duced from three
The intensive
to two persons.
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Through the sei.e., the artificial
cure fixation of
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transport damagis often interruptes will be avoided
ed during transand therefore reportation which
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The mid-sized
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The docking
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Dock” is a small
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and very funcfor further infortionally equ­ipped
mation about medical products in the
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tensive-care bed. The system offers sufprovita medical | for your life
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vices through the variable height adjusttwo rubber carrier-hooks. You may have
ment of its bar-rails. A control monitor
to use another fixing clamp. This defor the observation of the patient, up to
pends on the diameter of the bed brack4
syringe
pumps,
ventilator
with
a
two
eOrientierungsowieErkennbarkeitim
n und somit erhöhte
Sicherheit
ets and the wheel base of the bed. Also,
litre
oxygen bottle, a spare oxygen botProvita medical gmbh
a fastening on the wall rail is on the plans.
tle
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erleichterungfürdasPflegepersonal
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dderNachtpflege and accessories such as: a medical powThe device is also characterized by very
42929 Wermelskirchen · Germany
Tel. +49 2193 5105-0 · Fax -269
easy handling, mobility and a very smooth
er outlet, a basket and a file holder can
[email protected] · www.provita.de
running performance due to its large and
be attached and transported without
chromt
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esser 25 / 18 mm
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Exposanita
16.–19. 5. 2012
Bologna/Italy
Bologna Exhibition Centre
Integra
19.–21. 9. 2012
Wels/Austria
Messe Wels
> Products & Services:
T
> Trade fairs & Trainings:
Editorial staff: Heiko Heine (Editor), c/o ProScript!
Medienges. mbH, Schiffgraben 44, 30175 Hannover,
Germany.
You can download all previous issues of Völker Wörld
at www.volker.com.
Contributors to this edition: Giuseppe Fraterrigo,
Sabine Gerke, Bernd Harder, Suzi Lewis-Barned,
Alexander Paul, Sabrina Simon, Romana Wenthe.
Editor: Völker AG, Wullener Feld 79, 58454 Witten,
Germany, Phone +49 2302 96096-0, Fax -16, E-Mail:
[email protected].
External or by-lined articles do not reflect the
responsible editor’s opinion. The publisher is not
responsible for any industrial bulletins.
Publisher: ProScript! Medienges. mbH,
Schiffgraben 44, 30175 Hannover, Germany,
Phone +49 511 28357-70, Fax -18, E-Mail:
[email protected].
Typesetting, layout: DM Werbeagentur GmbH,
Schiffgraben 44, 30175 Hannover, Germany.
Printed by: Deister- und Weserzeitung Verlags­­
gesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, Baustr. 44,
31785 Hameln, Germany.
Circulation: 5,000.
> Comic:
Nurse,
I want to
get up!
Such a
stress!
Nurse, I
want to sit!
That
shouldn’t be
the case.
Nurse, I’m
scared!
Nurse Gerda,
don’t you use
Völker beds?
Völker beds are multifunctional:
3 basic models already offer support for 3 basic problems.
Self-mobilization
Great!
The right bed
for every
patient!
Activating care
Positioning close to the floor
Völker beds
are added-value
beds. With the
right model, you’ll
save time
every day!
… time that could be used to
provide more care, for example.
Sabine Gerke
A Special Day
The reason for the audience in the
Vatican was the 25th International
Caritas in Veritate Conference taking
place there – Per una cura della salute
equa ed umana (for proper and dignified care). This was one of the few exhibition pieces – the Vis-a-Vis healthcare bed from Völker AG. This bed,
with its quite special advantages for immobile elderly and sick patients, attracted particular attention from Pope
Benedict XVI. The Vis-a-Vis bed was
later blessed by Cardinal Secretary of
State Tarciso Bertone, in the presence
of Curia Archbishop Zimowski. On
11th February 2011, the “World Day of
the Sick”, a second Völker Vis-a-Vis
healthcare bed was handed over to the
Vatican in Rome, which also received a
Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers
> Völker Inside: