Best Hospital Beds and Profiling Beds for Home UK: 5 Checked Against Their Makers’ Documents

Last checked: 18 September 2026. Every specification on this page was read from the manufacturer’s own product page, leaflet, spec sheet or instructions on that date. We have not used these products; see how we checked. Links to Amazon are paid links, so we may earn a commission if you buy.

This page compares five electric profiling beds sold for use at home, all from Sidhil, the Halifax bed maker now trading as part of Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare (sidhil.com now redirects to drivemedical.co.uk). We have not tested them. Every figure comes from the maker’s own product pages, brochures, leaflets and quick user guides, read on 18 September 2026, and where two of those documents disagree we say so and use the less flattering figure. The page also covers what used to sit on our separate profiling care beds page: a profiling bed is a hospital-style bed with a mattress platform in sections that move, and for home use the two terms overlap. If the difference matters to you, see hospital bed or profiling bed.

The number that trips buyers up is the user weight limit. In all five beds it is 35kg to 65kg lower than the safe working load printed next to it, so a bed sold as “255kg” is rated for a person of 190kg.

How we checked, and what we did not do

We did not buy, use or measure any of these products. For each one we opened the manufacturer’s UK product page and the documents it links to (leaflet, spec sheet, instructions for use), and in a few cases a copy of the maker’s instructions hosted by a dealer where the maker does not host its own. We recorded each figure with the document it came from.

Where two of the maker’s documents give different figures for the same thing, we apply the least-favourable-figure rule: the table shows the less flattering one and the text shows both. Buyers who plan around the least favourable figure are never caught out; buyers who plan around the best one sometimes are.

For beds, read two weight figures and treat the lower one as the limit. Safe working load is what the whole platform may carry; user weight capacity is the person. The Sidhil product pages print both side by side. Platform height is measured to the mattress platform, so add the mattress depth to find the height someone sits at on the edge of the bed. None of these documents states a mattress size as such: they give the platform size (mostly about 90cm by 200cm), and the INNOV8 guides tell you to use a mattress of “the correct size and type”. Side rails are optional or a separate part on most of these beds, so check what a quoted price includes. Product weight matters less than for a wheelchair, because these beds come apart for delivery, but it tells you how much the floor and any stairs have to take.

We only included products from makers with published UK documents, and only products currently listed on Amazon UK so each pick can carry a live price box. Rankings are our judgement from the documents. No manufacturer or retailer paid to appear, and none saw this page before publication. If you think we have a figure wrong, email hello@reviewmobility.co.uk with the document and we will correct it.

All 5 compared

Figures are the maker’s own. Where the maker’s documents disagree, the table shows the less favourable figure (see each pick for both). Amazon prices change often, so they are in the live boxes, not the table.

Table checked 18 September 2026. Platform height is to the mattress platform, not the mattress top; where the maker’s documents disagree the table uses the less favourable figure, and the pick below shows both.

Photo	Title	Price	Buy
	Sidhil Doherty Solite Pro Low 4 Section Bed (SOLITE/PRO/LOW)	£1,755.36
	Sidhil Doherty Bradshaw Nursing Care Bed (1275/STD/LOAKS/S)	£1,246.59
	Sidhil Doherty Bradshaw Bariatric Low Nursing Care Bed (1275/BAR/LOW/LOAK/S)	£4,600.00
	Sidhil Doherty INNOV8 Hospital Low Ward Bed With High Side Rails (INNOV8/LOW/AQ/LINK/HSR)	£6,368.00
	Sidhil Doherty INNOV8 IQ Hospital Ward Bed With High Side Rails (IQ/AQ/SSR)	£4,588.00

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. (paid link)

1. Sidhil Solite Pro Low: best profiling bed for most homes

A four-section electric profiling bed built for community and home care, with a platform that drops to 29.5cm. The back rest, knee break and height are electric, and the leg extension is built in for taller users. Corners lock without tools, which helps when the bed has to go up a staircase in parts.

UK dealer prices on 18 September 2026: HCE £879.00 (without VAT), £1,054.80 (with VAT); ReliMobility £1,027.00 (with VAT relief), £1,232.40 (including VAT); Health and Care £1,515.43 (including VAT, shown as sold out). Amazon’s live price is in the box below.

Photo	Title	Price	Buy
	Sidhil Doherty Solite Pro Low 4 Section Bed (SOLITE/PRO/LOW)	£1,755.36

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. (paid link)

Documents read: Drive Medical Solite Pro Low product page, Solite Pro leaflet, Solite Pro 8-page brochure, read 18 September 2026.

2. Sidhil Bradshaw: best profiling bed that looks like bedroom furniture

The Bradshaw is Sidhil’s care home and home care bed with wooden head and foot ends in five finishes. It is a four-section electric profiling bed with auto contour and a cardiac chair position. It comes as a Standard model and a Low model on separate maker pages, with the same weight limits.

UK dealer prices on 18 September 2026: HCE £906.47 (without VAT), £1,087.76 (with VAT); Health and Care £1,021.43 (excluding VAT), £1,225.71 (including VAT). Amazon’s live price is in the box below.

Photo	Title	Price	Buy
	Sidhil Doherty Bradshaw Nursing Care Bed (1275/STD/LOAKS/S)	£1,246.59

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. (paid link)

Documents read: Drive Medical Bradshaw and Bradshaw Low product pages, Bradshaw care home bed brochure (LL490), read 18 September 2026.

3. Sidhil Bradshaw Bariatric Low: best for heavier users

A wider four-section bed for plus size users, with a 120cm platform and wooden ends. The maker rates it for a user of 318kg. The Amazon listing is the version with side rails.

UK dealer prices on 18 September 2026: Hospital Beds £2,249.99 (excluding VAT), £2,699.99 (including VAT), with 4 side rails; MedicalSupplies.co.uk £2,249.99 (exc VAT), £2,699.99 (inc VAT), with 4 side rails. Amazon’s live price is in the box below.

Photo	Title	Price	Buy
	Sidhil Doherty Bradshaw Bariatric Low Nursing Care Bed (1275/BAR/LOW/LOAK/S)	£4,600.00

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. (paid link)

Documents read: Drive Medical Bradshaw Bariatric Low product page, Bradshaw Bariatric bed brochure, read 18 September 2026.

4. Sidhil INNOV8 Low: best for high falls risk

A hospital ward bed that drops to 22.5cm, the lowest of the five models as listed here (only the Bradshaw’s separate Low version goes lower, at 19.2cm). The lowest setting can only be reached from the nurse control panel, so the user cannot put it there by accident. It has CPR levers on both sides, battery backup and a central brake.

UK dealer prices on 18 September 2026: ReliMobility £4,050.00 (with VAT relief), £4,860.00 (including VAT), with standard side rails; Hospital Beds £5,500.00 (excluding VAT), £6,600.00 (including VAT). Amazon’s live price is in the box below.

Photo	Title	Price	Buy
	Sidhil Doherty INNOV8 Hospital Low Ward Bed With High Side Rails (INNOV8/LOW/AQ/LINK/HSR)	£6,368.00

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. (paid link)

Documents read: Drive Medical INNOV8 Low product page, INNOV8 Low brochure (LL476), INNOV8 Low quick reference guide, read 18 September 2026.

5. Sidhil INNOV8 iQ: the ward bed, for complex care at home

The INNOV8 iQ is an acute hospital ward bed, made for general wards up to high dependency units. It adds a CPR function, a head down tilt as standard, a linen shelf and underbed lighting. It is here because it is sold for home use, but it is more bed than most homes need.

UK dealer prices on 18 September 2026: HCE £2,956.01 (without VAT), £3,547.21 (with VAT); MedicalSupplies.co.uk £3,662.86 (exc VAT), £4,395.43 (inc VAT), with standard side rails. Amazon’s live price is in the box below.

Photo	Title	Price	Buy
	Sidhil Doherty INNOV8 IQ Hospital Ward Bed With High Side Rails (IQ/AQ/SSR)	£4,588.00

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. (paid link)

Documents read: Drive Medical INNOV8 iQ product page, INNOV8 iQ quick user guide, read 18 September 2026.

Which one fits your situation?

Side rails: the gaps that matter

Side rails keep someone from rolling out, but they carry their own risk. The MHRA’s guidance, Bed rails: management and safe use, says the most serious incidents “have led to injury due to falls and death by asphyxiation as a result of entrapment of the head, neck or chest”. It advises avoiding “gaps of over 60 mm between the end of the bed rail and the headboard” and “gaps over 120 mm from any accessible opening between the bed rail and the mattress platform”.

The practical point for buyers: rails, bed and mattress are a set. The MHRA asks that they “in combination are compatible”. Most beds here sell rails as an option, and the INNOV8 rails must be ordered with the bed. A deeper pressure mattress than the rails were designed for lowers the effective rail height. Ask an occupational therapist to assess before fitting rails, and ask for a low bed as an alternative where rails are doubtful.

Before you buy: council loan beds

Profiling beds are among the most common items that council community equipment services lend, usually after an occupational therapy assessment, and often to speed up discharge from hospital. That route is separate from the NHS wheelchair service; see NHS wheelchair service vs community equipment. If the need is clear, ask for an assessment before spending £1,000 or more.

If you are buying, how much a hospital bed costs covers price bands, and reasons you might need a profiling bed covers when one helps. Check what the price includes: side rails, a mattress, and delivery to a room. One dealer we checked, Health and Care, sells kerbside delivery to business premises as standard and charges £339.99 for installation.

Paying less: VAT relief and free loans

If you have a long-term illness or disability, equipment designed for disabled people and bought for your own use is often eligible for VAT relief, which takes a sixth off the VAT-inclusive price. UK dealers usually deduct it at checkout after you sign a short declaration, and many Amazon listings say whether an item is eligible. Not every seller handles it the same way; our check of how UK retailers handle VAT relief covers this. This is general information, not tax advice.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best hospital bed for home use in the UK?

Of the five Sidhil beds checked against their makers’ documents on 18 September 2026, the Solite Pro Low suits most homes: its platform drops to 29.5cm, it takes a user of 191kg and its leaflet gives 5 years’ warranty. The Bradshaw suits a bedroom that needs wooden ends, and the Bradshaw Bariatric Low suits users up to 318kg.

What is the difference between safe working load and maximum user weight on a bed?

Safe working load is the most the bed platform may carry in total. Maximum user weight is the heaviest person the maker allows. On the five beds checked, user weight is 35kg to 65kg lower, so use that figure.

What is the lowest profiling bed?

Of the five checked, the INNOV8 Low goes down to 22.5cm at the mattress platform, set only from the nurse control. The Bradshaw Low reaches 19.2cm, lower still, but it is a variant of the Bradshaw. The Solite Pro Low reaches 29.5cm.

Do profiling beds come with side rails?

Usually as an option. The Bradshaw’s rails are bought separately, the Solite Pro Low has optional integral rails, and INNOV8 rails are a factory option. The Bradshaw Bariatric Low listing on Amazon includes rails.

What weight can a profiling bed take?

Most standard models checked take a user of 178kg to 191kg. The Bradshaw Bariatric Low takes 318kg (50 stone), with a safe working load of 368kg.

How much does a profiling bed cost in the UK?

UK dealer prices on 18 September 2026 ran from £879.00 without VAT for the Solite Pro Low to £6,600.00 including VAT for the INNOV8 Low. Many sellers show a price with VAT relief for disabled buyers.

Can I get a profiling bed free from the council?

Often, yes. Council community equipment services lend profiling beds after an assessment, commonly by an occupational therapist. Ask before buying, especially after a hospital stay.

How long is the warranty on a hospital bed?

Four of the five beds checked carry 1 year parts and labour plus 2 years parts only. The Solite Pro Low carries 5 years according to its leaflet; its brochure says 7.

What mattress size fits a profiling bed?

The makers give platform sizes, around 90cm by 200cm on the standard beds and 120cm by 200cm on the bariatric bed. Use a mattress made for the platform and the rails; the INNOV8 guides say to use one of “the correct size and type”.

Sources

All read on 18 September 2026. Listed as plain text so the citation survives if a page is later changed.

• Drive Medical Solite Pro Low product page, Solite Pro leaflet, Solite Pro 8-page brochure
• Drive Medical Bradshaw and Bradshaw Low product pages, Bradshaw care home bed brochure (LL490)
• Drive Medical Bradshaw Bariatric Low product page, Bradshaw Bariatric bed brochure
• Drive Medical INNOV8 Low product page, INNOV8 Low brochure (LL476), INNOV8 Low quick reference guide
• Drive Medical INNOV8 iQ product page, INNOV8 iQ quick user guide
• MHRA, Bed rails: management and safe use (GOV.UK, last updated 30 August 2023)
• UK dealer product pages named in each pick, prices read 18 September 2026

Review Mobility earns commission on some purchases made through links on this page, and sells optional paid listings to mobility companies. No manufacturer or retailer paid to appear here, none saw this page before publication, and a paid listing does not change what we publish. Corrections: hello@reviewmobility.co.uk.