Guldman Ceiling Track Hoist

Kingkraft provides hoist solution for disabled students

Craig y Parc School near Cardiff is a remarkable school in many ways. Housed in a delightful country mansion, the school looks and feels like a country house and makes an excellent location for the education and care of its students, who have cerebral palsy or similar conditions.

Kingkraft helps Craig y Parc with projects to help children move around the school. Head of Residential Services at Craig y Parc, Alex Kydd explains how Kingkraft can help. “Obviously we have a high level of expertise in looking after children with mobility problems and have a good idea of what we need by way of equipment for any particular project. However, Kingkraft have experience of installations in a wide range of situations and are able make recommendations to put the finishing touches to the project. They are also very experienced at working with builders and other contractors to ensure installation is trouble free.”

In 2008 Craig y Parc invested in the upgrade of the swimming pool provision for its students.

A key issue for the school was to ensure the safe and comfortable movement of the children from changing areas a little distance from the swimming pool into the water, without having to have wheelchairs in the vicinity of the pool. Alex Kydd explains the issues involved. “We wanted to have a system which enabled full hoist coverage of two changing rooms some distance away from the pool, to move children along the corridor and then to be able to lower them gently into the water. We had various issues to tackle, mainly associated with the safety of children and the age and structure of the building, so there were a number of technical issues to overcome.

The overall solution was achieved using Guldmann track and hoist systems, supplying ‘H’ systems for each of the changing rooms allowing full room coverage and transferring to a single track system at the doorway of each changing room where transfer onto the single track was managed by a Guldmann combi lock at the doorway, each doorway being curtained to maintain both privacy and convenience. The single track from each changing room combined via a switch track (similar to points on a railway track) so clients from each changing room could be linked onto the single track running down the corridor to the pool. The switch track is operated by an infrared remote control allowing staff to control the switch simply without leaving the students side. Once the student has reached the swimming pool the track extends over the water so the student can be lowered gently and safely into the water, again using a remote control to raise and lower the hoist. Students can similarly be lifted from the water using the hoist after their session in the pool and returned with a staff member to the changing room where they can be changed using a mobile, height adjustable changing tale.

Alex Kydd attests to the success of the solution in providing a highly practical way for Craig y Parc students to enjoy the benefits of the swimming pool saying “The track and hoist system is very simple to use which means that we can help the students to the pool in a way which is safe and maximizes their comfort and dignity. A member of staff can be at their side at all stages so they do not feel isolated or at risk at any time. We are very proud of the beauty of our fine building at Craig y Parc but at times its idiosyncrasies provide challenges to the design of moving and handling equipment, challenges which Kingkraft have risen to on every occasion.”