Vanry VM-4

Backrest and leg section, each wound by its own crank at the foot end; the Chinese name, 手动双摇床, means manual double-crank bed. The two pictograms have legible labels: 背部升降 (backrest up and down) and 腿部升降 (leg section up and down). The height is fixed at 500 mm, and section angles are not published. Ask for the angles in writing. Both cranks sit at the foot end, which is why that end needs attention.

Not published. The photograph shows both handles extended beyond the foot end, which is how they are used, but it does not show whether they fold, retract or lift off when not in use. Ask the seller how each handle is stowed, and whether it locks in the stowed position. Folding or removable handles make the foot end much safer to walk past. Stowed handles also make the bed easier to move through doorways.

Because people walk past the foot of a bed all day. Staff moving round to the far side, visitors, cleaners and patients getting up at night can catch a shin, a knee or a trouser leg on an extended handle, and in low light it is easy to miss. A handle can also snag a trailing sheet or a drainage line. The risk is small each time but repeated many times a day, which is why it is worth managing. Children visiting a relative are especially likely to run into them.

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 require floors and traffic routes to be kept free of obstructions that could cause a slip, trip or fall, so far as is reasonably practicable. A bed's projecting cranks sit in the route staff and visitors use, so they belong in the provider's workplace risk assessment. PUWER also requires work equipment to be suitable and used safely, which includes stowing parts that create a hazard. Recording the control, such as stowing the handles, shows the risk has been managed.

Fold or turn the handles in after every adjustment, if the design allows. Position the bed so the foot end is not in the main route to the door or bathroom where possible, and keep the space in front of it clear of chairs and equipment. Good night lighting helps patients see the foot end when they get up. Include the handles in staff familiarisation so everyone stows them the same way. A short reminder at each shift handover keeps the habit going.

The photograph shows a wire mesh basket under the platform. On beds of this kind it is used for storing linen, a patient's belongings or small equipment close to hand. The sheet does not describe it, so ask what it is for, whether it is removable for cleaning, and what load it can carry. Keep heavy items out of it until the load limit is known.

It can, if it is not managed. A basket filled with belongings collects dust and is harder to clean around, items stored in it can reduce the clearance a mobile hoist needs beneath the bed, and a patient reaching down into it from bed may be at risk of falling. Keep it for light items, empty and clean it regularly, and keep it clear when hoist transfers are planned. A quick check of the basket at each bed change keeps it under control.

That depends on their dimensions, which are not published. MHRA guidance recommends that gaps between rail bars be no more than 60 mm, that openings within the rail or beside the platform stay under 120 mm, and that the gap between the rail end and the headboard be under 60 mm, with the rail top at least 220 mm above the uncompressed mattress. Request the manufacturer's rail test data and check the installed rails with the mattress fitted, under the provider's bed rails policy. Where gaps are too large, rail covers or an alternative to rails may be needed.

The platform does not rise or fall. With the mattress on top, 500 mm sets the height a patient sits at to get out of bed, which suits many adults but may be high for shorter people or those at risk of falling. For staff, every care task happens at the same working height, which needs a manual handling assessment. Check the true height with the mattress fitted. Record the chosen mattress so the height stays known.

Not published. On a crank bed, winding the backrest down can delay chest compressions, which is why some manual beds have a quick-release for the back section. Ask whether the VM-4 has one; if not, staff need a plan, such as a CPR board, and should practise it. Resuscitation training should cover whichever route the bed has. Include the release, if fitted, in maintenance checks.

Neither is published. The safe working load governs which patients the bed can take, including mattress and accessories, and the platform size decides mattress choice and patient fit on a frame 2200 mm long and 970 mm wide overall. Request both in writing before allocation. The narrow width means the bed is unlikely to suit bariatric or broad patients. Taller patients may need a bed with a longer platform.

IEC 80601-2-52:2026 is written for medical electrical beds, and a bed with no electrical parts is not medical electrical equipment, so ask which standard the VM-4 has been tested to for mechanical safety, stability and rail dimensions. The manufacturer is Hebei Vanry Medical Devices Co., Ltd of Baoding, which states that importers also sell its products under their own brands. Rail test data is the most useful document to request for this bed. No product page for the VM-4 has been found on the manufacturer's website. Confirm the code, the legal manufacturer on the declaration of conformity, and that the model is in production.