A WORCESTERSHIRE company has received almost £100,000 to develop an innovative bed-exit sensor for the NHS.

The technology being worked on by Safekeeping Solutions of Wichenford, near Worcester, aims to improve carer response times and deliver fewer false alarms, ultimately reducing NHS costs significantly and improving patient care.

The company is among 11 firms which have secured funding in a healthcare competition to address challenges in older people with multiple-morbidities. It has been awarded the money by SBRI Healthcare, an NHS England funded initiative to develop innovative products that combat unmet health needs. Seeking to accelerate the development and adoption of new technologies in the NHS, the £1m SBRI award will be shared by small businesses working in the priority problem areas of falls, incontinence and decline in functional ability. The funding will be used by Safekeeping Solutions to assess the technical feasibility and commercial value of its bed-exit sensor.

The business will be fully funded and supported with its concept for a six month development phase. If Safekeeping Solutions demonstrates best value and technical feasibility in phase one, it can progress through to phase two to be further supported and funded to take the technology through to commercialisation, and then spread throughout the healthcare sector.

Ruth Allen, director of Safekeeping Solutions, said: “I am delighted that SBRI has awarded this funding, which will be used to demonstrate the technical feasibility of the sensor. As an occupational therapist, my clinical experience working with individuals at risk of falling has led me to believe that technology has a crucial role to play in the multi-faceted approach to falls prevention.

“Unlike existing bed-exit sensors, this device has an advanced sensor which can identify specific movement profiles and can detect when an individual has the intention to move from a bed. The device will provide a prompt alert and minimise false alarms. So many people we speak to about this innovation have a personal story to tell about how it could have made a difference to someone they knew who was receiving care.”

The West Midlands Academic Science Network – a regional organisation which sets out to spread innovations at scale and pace to make the West Midlands healthier and more productive – will be supporting Safekeeping Solutions in the development and commercialisation of the bed-exit sensor.

Dr Christopher Parker, managing director of the WMAHSN, said: "We are pleased to see a West Midlands company stepping forward with an innovative idea to address one of the biggest challenges that the NHS faces, supporting older people who are at risk of falls from beds in a range of care settings,

“The project hopes to evidence that an accurate and prompt bed-exit sensor is desired by clinicians, as well as being obviously beneficial to patients. In hospitals and mental health units in England and Wales, around 44,000 patients fell from a bed between September 1, 2005 and August 31,2006, that’s about one in 200 patients. In this same year, 90 patients fractured their hip and 11 patients actually died following falls from a bed. The bed-exit sensor project was selected on its potential value to the health service and on the improved outcomes delivered to patients.”