Bradford-based seating specialist Knightsbridge Furniture has launched a range of equipment to help health specialists give better care to patients.

Knightsbridge, based on Thornton Road, unveiled the furniture range at its Supply Solutions for the Healthcare Market forum.

The forum heard that seating was not seen as a "clinical aid" in the treatment and recuperation of patients attending hospitals and health clinics.

This was shown using the findings of a seating audit at St James' Hospital, Leeds, which showed that 50 per cent of seats were unsuitable and virtually 70 per cent in a state of disrepair.

Sylvia Knight, assistant divisional nurse for head, neck and muscloskeletal services at the Leeds teaching hospitals, and Ron Heredia, area procurement and logistics manager for Tayside, addressed an audience of healthcare professionals about the difficulties they faced when buying seating and how they felt the situation could be improved.

"Despite a growing awareness of the role seating plays in patient care it is still very much apparent that chairs play second fiddle to beds in the healthcare environment," said Knightsbridge Furniture's marketing manager Tracey Wade.

"Budget holders spend thousands of pounds each year on specialist beds, leaving insufficient funds available to provide adequate patient seating."

The Knightsbridge package is the result of research carried out in hospitals across the UK, which focused on problems in supply and the changing market requirements.

"The package provides the first truly one-stop seating shop for the healthcare sector and by defining the specific areas of use for each model, ensures a reduction in time spent specifying and then buying seating," Tracey Wade said.

"Having worked extensively with Knightsbridge in the past this development comes as no great surprise," said Sylvia Knight. "They have always been very attentive to the needs of the market and their healthcare package clearly demonstrates their understanding of it."

Tracey Wade added: "The forum provided a number of interesting talking points and I am delighted not only with how it went but also the reaction to the healthcare package."

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