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NHS Anniversary Livery for Southmead Hospital Ambulance

A multi-functional ambulance designed and built by Cartwright Conversions for Bristol’s Southmead Hospital has been given a special livery to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the NHS.

The converted Fiat Ducato attracted interest from visitors to the Fiat stand (HTC Van Centre) at the National Association of Police Fleet Managers (NAPFM) exhibition in May.

This is the second ambulance to be converted for Southmead Hospital by Cartwright Conversions, which is liveried in a striking wrap showing images of a nurse and patient.

Toby Carter, Sales Manager at Cartwright Conversions said: “I have worked with NHS Fleet Managers for around 20 years and it’s been a privilege to see the changes in vehicle conversions in that time.

“The NHS is full of professionals that expect the best and get the best from its suppliers. Our vehicles are engineered to high standards but we can only achieve this by working closely with the NHS who give us their invaluable operational insight into how the vehicles are used.”

Funded by the Southmead Hospital Charity, the ambulance can be used for patients of varying abilities and includes bariatric capability with a Ferno Megasus bariatric stretcher.

The 500Kg SWL rear loading stretcher tail-lift is a safe and easy loading solution for stretcher and wheelchairs. It also includes a heavy-duty wheelchair with bespoke storage space, side entry step and fold down handrail to allow ‘walk on’ patients to use the vehicle with ease.

Patients benefit from heating and air conditioning in the saloon compartment, which is backed-up with an auxiliary battery management system that powers the vehicle and on-board equipment.

“It is brilliant to see changes in vehicle design and hi-tech equipment to give operational efficiencies and improve the vehicles for both staff and the public. We’re looking forward to seeing what the next 70 years will bring in new and exciting vehicle innovations,” continued Toby.

Cartwright Conversions handed over the first multi-functional ambulance to Southmead Hospital in February. That vehicle, which was donated by the hospital’s League of Friends, is now being used to transfer patients across the 800-bed hospital site.

Both vehicles will help to provide essential ongoing services to the residents of Southmead Hospital and surrounding areas.

 

Cartwright Supplies Vehicles to E-zec Medical in Major Contract Win

Cartwright Conversions has delivered the final ambulances to E-zec Medical in a deal with the private ambulance company to supply more than 100 patient transport vehicles.

Yorkshire-based Cartwright specialises in vehicle conversions for the healthcare industry including frontline ambulances, patient transport service (PTS) vehicles and wheelchair accessible vehicles.

E-zec Medical is one of the largest independent private ambulance companies in the UK with a fleet of more than 400 vehicles and 20 bases across the Country.

Renault Master E-zec

Cartwright won the contract earlier in the year to build the Fiat Ducato PTS vehicles and Renault Trafic wheelchair accessible vehicles. It was followed-up with an order for a further seven high dependency units on a Renault Master panel van (pictured right).

Designed by Cartwright’s team of experienced in-house engineers, these vehicles will be used by E-zec on two new NHS contracts covering Suffolk and Staffordshire.

Managing Director of E-zec, Paul Swann, said: “Cartwright Conversions has built in excess of 100 vehicles, all delivered on time and to specification. We’ve been very pleased with the relationship we have built and see this as a great opportunity to work together in the future.”

The seated PTS vehicles are fitted with a ramp and have fold-away seats on the nearside to make room for two wheelchair passengers. A storage pen and aluminium cant rail lockers make efficient use of the space inside the vehicle and its easy wipe-down lining ensures infection control.

In addition, Cartwright’s engineers designed an alternative version for E-zec with a stretcher in place of two offside seats. Both versions are fitted with piped oxygen for the comfort of patients that need it.

The high dependency vehicles have a trauma wall and a full emergency warning system. E-zec specialises in contracts that involve some form of high dependency work using fully-equipped ambulances operated by a paramedic crew.

Steve Shaw, Commercial and Operations Director at Cartwright Conversions said: “We were very pleased to work with E-Zec Medical and provide the ambulance vehicles that they required for their new NHS contracts. We worked with them closely to meet E-Zec’s specifications and everything was delivered in time for the start of each contract.”

The Renault Trafic wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) supplied to E-zec is a popular product for Cartwright’s mobility customers. Part of a range of WAVs available from Cartwright on the national Motability Scheme, this conversion is built to high standards.

Case Study | Eight seat welfare vehicle

Days Rental is a national vehicle rental company, part of the Day’s Group. The business based in South Wales has a fleet of 12,000 vehicles and specialises in flexible hire periods on cars and a range of commercial vehicles including access lifts, plant transportation and welfare vehicles.

The rental company chooses to buy Cartwright’s eight-seat welfare conversion because their customers prefer the layout over other welfare vehicles on the market. The latest conversion for Days Rental is built on a Ford Transit (L3, H3) and will join their fleet of specialist vans in May.

Cartwright’s welfare vehicle has a patented rear facing toilet that takes up less space in the back of a van than a traditional side facing toilet. This space-saving design frees up room for a bigger messing area fitted with five seats, a table, microwave, hot water boiler and hand wash facilities.

The rear of the van is split between a toilet and a cloak room/drying area with hooks. Each area is accessed separately so users can still enter the back of the van even when the toilet is in use.

Andy Cooke, Account Manager at Days Rental explains: “Our customers prefer to use Cartwright’s welfare vehicle over others we have on fleet due to the layout of the rear compartment which gets rid of any dead space and creates more room in the mess area.”

The vehicle is finished with a hard wearing anti-slip floor and has a lightweight phenolic ply lining. The highly appointed conversion comes with a rear step and tow bar, exterior R65 compliant beacons, rotary air vents, reverse sensors and a white noise alarm.

This is the only welfare conversion with approved manufacturer status from Ford as part of Cartwright’s acceptance onto its Qualified Vehicle Modifier (QVM) Programme. Only a handful of converters in the Country are part of the programme, which proves you can build to Ford’s standards.

We also offer six and seven seat welfare vehicles on a broad range of models with National Small Series Type Approval. Find out more here.

The Cartwright Group is helping Vision Express to take their business on the road with a revolutionary new trailer that has been designed and built to be a mobile eye testing facility.

The trailer was officially handed over to Vision Express on Monday (12 March), at the start of a national week of activities to raise awareness of the eye condition, glaucoma.

In a first for Cartwright, the trailer was built at the Group’s manufacturing facility in   Cheshire, and then handed over to their conversions’ division in Yorkshire.

Drawing on the expertise of the two sides of the business has proved a success.

The single axis semi-trailer was built by the Cartwright Group using composite panels pressed at their own facility in Altrincham. The 11 metre trailer is fitted with storage underneath and four hydraulic rams to level it out when it is unhooked from its tractor unit.

Inside the space has been transformed by Cartwright Conversions into a mobile eye testing facility designed to reflect the high street optician’s layout and design. Divided into five areas with a reception and examination rooms, it has running water and heating.

Engineers have created a false ceiling to hide the complex electrical work that links to an  on-board generator to power the lighting, a temperature control unit and a satellite for Internet access.

Steps lead up to the trailer with a platform lift and separate entrance for wheelchair users.

Cartwright Conversions specialises in converted vehicles for the commercial market and is widely known for its welfare van and range of ambulances. As the trend towards remote working increases, its progressive designs are finding new uses with household names.

Steve Shaw, Commercial and Operations Director at Cartwright Conversions said: “We are incredibly proud of the Vision Express mobile eye testing facility which is the result of a combined effort from two parts of Cartwright’s business. Working together we have been able to build a high quality, cost effective trailer conversion that will be used by hundreds of people nationwide.”

Fitted with the latest eye testing technology, the trailer will be touring the Country during Glaucoma Week (11-17 March) offering free eye testing to the public. Details of the cities it will visit are available here: www.visionexpress.com/world-glaucoma-week-2018  .

Vision Express has joined forces with the Road Haulage Association to raise awareness of the potential dangers of leaving glaucoma undetected particularly among HGV drivers.

RHA chief executive Richard Burnett said: “The Road Haulage Association is delighted to be associated with the Vision Express initiative and is proud to be operating the Vision Van on its behalf. Good eyesight is vital for any road user but for an HGV driver, their livelihood depends on it. Despite this, there are still far too many drivers who ignore any weakness in their vision, weakness that may well be because of glaucoma.

“Although easy to diagnose, many drivers are nervous of making the initial approach to an optician. The Vision Van will play a vital role in conveying the message that good eye health will actually prolong a driver’s working life.”

Doncaster based Cartwright Conversions has designed and built a bariatric ambulance for use at Bristol’s Southmead Hospital.

With patients frequently transferred from the Brunel building to Elgar House across the 800-bed hospital site, the specially designed bariatric ambulance will be a crucial addition to support patients weighing over 25 stone (159kg) at the Bristol based hospital.

The ambulance, a first for the North Bristol Trust, was purchased by Southmead Hospitals’ League of Friends, an independent charity which has been supporting the hospital for 40 years, with the majority of its funds generated by its quaint coffee shop in the Brunel building of the hospital.

The Conversions’ team designed the vehicle with a view to accommodating the extra weight load from its passengers. Built on a Fiat Ducato chassis, the newly designed ambulance incorporates a 500kg lift and Ferno Megasus bariatric stretcher.

Additional features include an integral compartment for a bariatric wheelchair which can be used if required in place of a stretcher.

The ambulance not only provides much needed support for bariatric patients at Southmead Hospital but pregnant women in labour will also be transported by the new ambulance from the maternity unit to the emergency theatre in the Brunel building when required.

The handover of the new bariatric ambulance took place on Wednesday 21 February.

Beverley Jackson, Sales Manager at Cartwright Conversions said: “We are delighted to hand over this bariatric ambulance to North Bristol NHS Trust after working so closely with them to design a vehicle that meets their requirements and those of their patients.”

Lead Executive for Charitable Funds at North Bristol NHS Trust, Catherine Phillips said: “We are incredibly grateful to Southmead Hospital League of Friends for providing the funding for the new specially-designed ambulance.

“The bariatric ambulance will help ensure a smoother transition from hospital to home and between buildings on site for patients requiring extra support.”

Cartwright Conversions has joined the ranks of a select few companies in the UK that are formally approved by Ford to convert its famous Transit van.

It has achieved the status of Ford Qualified Vehicle Modifier which allows it to show conversions in Ford dealerships up and down the country.

Only a handful of converters hold this qualification in the UK.

Showing that Ford is satisfied that a converter builds to Ford’s high standards, the award opens up new business opportunities and is highly coveted.

Steve Shaw, Commercial and Operations Director, Cartwright Conversions, said: “We are delighted to have achieved Ford Qualified Vehicle Modifier status. The Ford Transit is an iconic vehicle that is relied upon by thousands of businesses and is also extremely versatile.

“We look forward to a long and productive relationship converting Ford vans into bespoke vehicles such as welfare vans and emergency service vehicles for years to come.”

Ford’s Chief Program Engineer for Special Commercial Vehicles, Simon Robinson, presented the QVM certificate to Mr Shaw of Cartwright Conversions recently at Ford’s Technical Centre in the UK in Essex.

The relationship with Ford extends right across Cartwright Conversions’ product categories. There are two mobility conversions – a Ford Transit Minibus and a Ford Transit Custom – both wheelchair accessible vehicles. And there are more exciting releases planned for the future.

As one of the latest arms of Cartwright, Doncaster-based Cartwright Conversions has gone from strength to strength, building up an impressive portfolio that includes emergency service vehicles, mobility vehicles, welfare vans and racking.

Cartwright Conversions has supplied ten new police vehicles to Lincolnshire Police for their officers to use in the fight against rural crime across the county.

The vehicle conversion specialists delivered the modified Ford Kuga patrol vehicles two weeks ahead of schedule with a bespoke dash panel designed specifically for the SUV.

Electrical engineers moved the factory-fit Ford radio into the glovebox to make room for an electrical control panel and an automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) camera screen.

Alongside the emergency lighting package and warning system, Cartwright’s certified installers have fitted an RSG data logging system which will track the vehicles’ activity.

Cartwright Conversions specialises in the design and build of vehicles for the emergency services and mobility sector. Its parent company – the Cartwright Group – is one of the UKs leading commercial vehicle bodybuilders established in 1952.

Toby Carter, Sales Manager at Cartwright Conversions said: “Our team of electrical engineers and bodybuilders made every effort to deliver this project ahead of schedule.”

“We were able to complete the full conversion from our dedicated ISO 9001 facility in Doncaster and by doing it all under one roof we saved a significant amount of time.”

The Ford Kuga has an all-wheel-drive (AWD) intelligence system that will give officers in Lincolnshire the ability to drive across difficult terrain in a challenging rural environment.

Hare coursing is one of the rural crimes that offices across the county hope to target with the help of these new vehicles. The pursuit of hares using dogs is popular at this time of year when Lincolnshire’s flat landscape has been cleared of crops after the harvest.

Nigel Coupe, Fleet Manager at Lincolnshire Police said: “I’d like to thank Cartwright Conversions for their excellent service in turning these Ford Kugas into operational police vehicles and we are delighted with the high-standard of work completed by their technicians.

“These vehicles will give us more flexibility to tackle crime and will help improve our response to incidents. Our officers will be able to go where they previously couldn’t in a police car – such as into a crop field to find where a stolen vehicle has been hidden or to pursue a hare courser trying to make an escape using an off-road track.

“Attempting this in a police car would cause significant damage to the vehicle so previously our officers have had to accept lifts from farmers or traipse through fields on foot to reach a crime scene.

“Our distinctive county also has vast areas of challenging terrain with low hills and steep valleys and in bad weather these can be treacherous.  When our officers are trying to keep people safe it’s important that they themselves feel safe to tackle the conditions.  Now our officers can get where they need to quickly and safely – improving our service to communities.”

The Cartwright Group has acquired leading aircraft ground support equipment (GSE) manufacturer Emtek Services Ltd in the latest step in the expansion of Cartwright, a leading trailer manufacturer and vehicle conversion specialist.

With its 65-year pedigree of engineering excellence and innovation, Cartwright is well-placed to develop the Emtek brand.

Emtek Services has been manufacturing equipment for 30 years and under Cartwright will continue to provide class-leading aircraft GSE under the new ownership.

Founder of Emtek, Mark Fowler, will remain with the business as Technical Director assisted by Specialist Builds Development Manager Oliver Shaw.

Cartwright Group Managing Director, Mark Cartwright, said: “We are delighted that Emtek Services is joining the Group as we continue to expand our portfolio of products. We look forward to further developing Emtek’s product range and turning it into a truly global brand.”

Mark Fowler commented: “Cartwright’s skill, detail and manufacturing capacity make them ideally placed to take forward the Emtek brand. Our shared vision for Emtek Services is to become a global leader in the Aircraft GSE market by introducing forward-thinking engineered solutions and a streamlined approach to manufacturing.”

The Cartwright Group has enjoyed exponential growth in the last three years and has expanded its offering through the development of Doncaster based Cartwright Conversions Ltd, which specialises in ambulances, passenger transport service vehicles, police and security, welfare vans and racking and mobility vehicles.

Commercial & Operations Director Steve Shaw of Cartwright Conversions is looking forward to working with Mark and Oliver to develop the Emtek product range and further building the Conversions brand.

Cheshire Search and Rescue (SAR) has recently taken delivery of a specially converted, 4-wheel drive search and rescue unit, developed to strengthen their emergency services support activities in and around Cheshire.

The vehicle is based on a high-roof, long-wheel based, 4×4 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and is already creating significant interest from a number of emergency services across the UK. It was 12 months in the design, planning and conversion stages to ensure it was finished and specified to meet the exacting needs of highly demanding search and rescue operations. Sprinter was the client’s chassis of choice based on its versatility, off-road performance and manoeuvrability. Simon Morley of Cartwright Conversions worked closely with the local Mercedes-Benz dealer to acquire the appropriately equipped chassis, whilst working alongside his in-house design and electrical specialists to evolve a conceptual idea into what is believed to be the UK’s most advanced and versatile vehicle of its kind.

Not only does the vehicle have to contend with some of the toughest off-road terrain and adverse weather conditions – any time day or night – it doubles up as a mobile work unit and control hub, where the volunteer workers are in close and personal contact with the emergency services and the families of missing persons.

The driver and front passenger seats are 360O swivel options, which rotate to transform a mobile unit into a working environment. The rear of the vehicle – accessed through side and rear doors – is fitted out with a table, bench, large storage area, two workstations and a stretcher. A roof top mounted satellite dish, wi-fi connectivity and a large, internal panel-mounted monitor ensure optimum communication at all times.

Cheshire Search and Rescue – in its 12th year – is a charitable organisation run by highly trained volunteers who are on call 24/7/365. As members of the Association of Lowland Search and Rescue, they train and work with local mountain rescue teams as well as assist Cheshire Police and other statutory emergency services in locating and rescuing of missing persons.

“The team at Cartwright Conversions has been absolutely superb. Everything we wanted to achieve they found a way to make it happen. We were heavily involved in the planning stages, which were critical to the functionality of the finished product, but once the design had been agreed, we left it to them and we have been delighted with their speed and attention to detail.” Mark Susca MSc, Deputy Team Leader, Cheshire Search and Rescue.

Cartwright Conversions will be exhibiting two vehicles at the APSE Scotland Fleet, Waste and Grounds Seminar in May. The event in Aviemore will showcase Cartwright’s latest welfare vehicle with a new patented rear facing toilet and a smaller van fitted with racking.

The welfare vehicle supports operatives in maintenance, engineering, utility, construction and other professions at remote locations when there is no access to permanent facilities. Vehicles like these provide the toilet, washing, drinking water and rest facilities that must be available under law to all employees wherever they may be working.

The Mercedes Sprinter welfare vehicle incorporates a unique and patented rear door access system. In this configuration the left-hand rear door provides access to the toilet so that users do not have to pass through other areas of the vehicle, for improved convenience and hygiene. The right-hand rear door opens into the load space and rest areas. Both doors can be operated separately to ensure privacy and security.
Cartwright Conversions will also display a Mercedes Vito fitted with crash-tested Sortimo racking inside and a Rhino roof bar system with ladder rack. The LadderStow sits on aerodynamic KammBar roof bars which have been designed to be durable and fuel efficient.

Both vehicles are built at our dedicated ISO9001 facility in Doncaster and the welfare vehicle has Whole Vehicle Type Approval. Cartwright Conversions manages all stages of the conversion process from design to delivery, and applies rigorous quality checks to ensure every vehicle is finished to the highest standards before it is presented to the customer.

Their experienced design engineers pay particular attention to reducing weight as this helps to maximise the carrying capacity of the finished vehicle. All vehicles are designed using the latest industry technology to create innovative solutions that meet each customer’s specification.
See Cartwright Conversions at the APSE Scotland Fleet, Waste and Grounds Seminar at Hilton Coylumbridge in Aviemore between Tuesday 23 to Friday 26 May 2017.