Getting the grades on our Multi range

Therapists, carers, nurses, healthcare professionals, and patients… you can all rest assured that your lives are going to be made easier going forward. Why? Because we've just received the results of some academic research that Coventry University has carried out on a sample of specialist chairs from our Multi Range.

We recently commissioned the Coventry University Health Design & Technology Institute (HDTI) in order to continue the development and continuous innovation we carry out in the manufacture of our chairs.

Eight industry professionals, with great experience across the healthcare sector, carried out a thorough analysis of four of our specialist chairs; the Multi-Tilt, Multi-Flex, Multi-C-Air and the Multi Mobile C-Air designs. The professionals analysing the chairs included four physiotherapists, two occupational therapists, and two nurses, each of whom have experience working with patients of various ages, disabilities, and illnesses.

The chairs were tested for functionality, ease of use, cushion configuration and some of the fabrics used for infection control. They were assessed from both the perspective of an occupant and professional carer. One occupational therapist commented on the unique features of our design which we have specifically adapted for the taller occupant: "That's quite impressive; I don't know very many other specialist chairs that have that amount of leg rest.”

Another key finding was that our team has developed a number of specialist chairs that are easy to clean and which aid the prevention of infection within a healthcare setting. One nurse said of the Multi Range: "These are fantastic for dialysis units, they would love the fact you can wipe them all down because of the infection of dialysis. And the same with chemo units and infection, these would be fantastic.”

Other comments included appreciation of the directional aspect of the chairs which make the job of the attendant easier. Our chairs proved easy to manoeuvre and very adaptable in terms of pressure management. The range's ease of use is highlighted by the fact one of the chairs, the Multi C-Air has won accolades for its rise recline features and its natural fit within a residential and home environment.

Guy Smallman, Commercial Development Director at HDTI, said: "These days, furniture is becoming ever more sophisticated and advanced in terms of usability, hygiene, and comfort, and it's our job to put these products through their paces. Repose has produced a high level of healthcare seating solutions and it's great to see a Midlands firm take the lead with their seat design.”

Our development team is now reviewing the research in order to incorporate some of the comments in the design and manufacture of future chairs, as well as improving existing products.

It's really given us some food for thought. No-one has a perfect product, and existing products can always be improved. We're always looking at creative new ways to gain credible insights on our products, which will only help us improve our products in in the future. We can all think we know what the carer, patient, therapist needs, but we make the effort to ask them directly. This was a great opportunity for our chairs to be put under scrutiny in order for us to get an outsider's perspective. It made us sit up and think about things we hadn't previously considered, so we are looking forward to seeing what we can do now before the annual trade exhibition NAIDEX in May.

We are currently undergoing major expansion and produce a range of seating products for home, healthcare, and residential and nursing care settings. We pride ourselves on being a British manufacturer that designs and produces products to an extremely high quality standard.