A NEW electronic machine provided by the League of Friends for staff at Gobowen’s Orthopaedic Hospital is helping to keep things moving.

The Logistics team at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) is keeping supplies moving safely and efficiently with support from electronic MasterMovers.

A MasterMover is an electronic tow tug machine which provides a better alternative to pushing and pulling wheeled loads by hand.

The devices are helping the Logistics team – made up of stores staff and porters – to move around everything from patients to medical equipment, food, waste, linen and more.

Mark Evans, logistics manager at RJAH, has been impressed with how much easier the machines have made work for his staff.

He said: “The introduction of the MasterMovers has really made our working lives much easier – sometimes we can be pulling trolleys with loads up to 500kg, which is a lot of weight for one person to take.

“We’ve found them to be especially beneficial when taking the patients food trolleys to the wards. We would normally need two members of staff for this, but with the MasterMovers we now only need one person plus the equipment.”

The team have two SmartMover SM100+ models thanks to a £15,000 investment from the hospital’s League of Friends.

Mark added: “We’re extremely grateful for the support from the League of Friends – I speak on behalf of the whole team when I say thank you.”

The League of Friends support RJAH by giving financial support for equipment, amenities and research as well as recruiting volunteers to support patients.

Victoria Sugden, charity director at the League of Friends, said: “We are always delighted to support departments and wards across the hospital with new equipment that is going to make their day-to-day responsibilities easier.

“Staff wellbeing is extremely important and we’re thrilled the Logistics team are fully reaping the benefits of the MasterMovers.”

The SmartMover is able to push and pull loads of up to 1,200kg and has a range of features including various speed settings and an automatic breaking system.

It also has the ability to operate on slopes and uneven ground which is especially beneficial for the hospital’s corridor which is on a slope.