Stretchers and patient transfer trolleys, bought as one lot

What you are actually buying

A stretcher trolley is specified by where it will work, not by what it is called. A casualty trolley needs height adjustment, trendelenburg and often a radiolucent top so films can be taken without a transfer; a routine transfer trolley needs none of that and should not be paid for. Quotations separate on castor diameter and braking, top material, whether hydraulics are fitted, and whether mattress, side rails, IV pole and cylinder holder are counted in. The mistake made most often is dimensional rather than clinical: a trolley bought without checking the lift car, corridor turns and the ramp between blocks becomes a trolley that cannot reach the department it was bought for.

Why stretchers suits collective purchasing

Stretchers standardise well and buyers are numerous, but the ticket is small, so a pooled requirement of trolleys alone rarely commands a manufacturer's attention. They pool best folded into a single ward furniture lot alongside beds, lockers and examination tables, where the combined volume is worth competing for and one delivery and commissioning schedule covers everything. Bought that way, the group can also hold the supplier to a common castor and brake standard across every institution, which is what decides whether the trolleys are still moving smoothly years later.

How a pool for this runs

Also pooled under Hospital furniture, oxygen & utilities