Testimonials

“Simply brilliant. Brilliantly simple.”

“The Hydrant should be on every hospital and care home bed in the country – it enables people to drink easily and without assistance at any time of the day. I have no doubt that it will make a major contribution to the reduction in dehydration related problems in the healthcare arena.” Sir Ranulph Fiennes BT OBE, Patron of Hydrate for Health Ltd

Click on the tabs below to read testimonials from some of our customers.

Hospital Staff

“I’ve been in trauma nursing for 20 years and this is one of the best ideas I’ve ever seen.”
Squadron Leader Ian Slaughter, Officer Commanding – Nursing, Headley Court, The Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre

“The Hydrant is a wonderful piece of equipment. It means that patients who were unable to get a drink without asking for help now have full independence at all times. It is easy to use, and has passed all infection control tests run by our Trust so we have no concerns at all about patient safety. It has hugely improved the quality of life for our spinal patients and as such The Hydrant should be a standard part of any hospital’s armour in the battle against dehydration.”
Liz Evans, Nutrition Nurse Specialist, Stoke Mandeville Hospital

“FANTASTIC! I currently have one patient using it and she is addicted and won’t let it go!! Being that she is young it has already given her some independence which is just what I hoped for (and you!) I will be ordering more and the tubes – I am also feeding this back at the next senior sisters meeting so look out for more orders as I feel this could be circulated to the elderly as well as the infirm.”
Hospital Ward Manager

Hospital Patients

“I am now recovering at home following a successful first phase of surgery on my back. The Hydrant seems to me to be a simple and innovative answer to a difficult, and in some cases life-threatening, problem in health care and I applaud you in finding such a simple solution. I hope you are having a good response from the NHS. In the last couple of years, I have spent quite a lot of tine in hospital and I can say that there is a great need for solutions in patient care like this to offset nursing shortages, and to help when things get very busy.”
C M Singleton, Wing Commander RAF

“Just a quick testimonial from me: I have just spent the last 4 weeks in hospital, 3 weeks of which were complete bed rest on my back with a collar on. I came of my bicycle and have c2 and c3 spinal fracture. Luckily the ward I was on was trialling the Hydrant. It was an absolute saviour, there is no way I would have stayed anywhere near hydrated without it. Staffing levels were not adequate to enable me to feed with a cup and straw at will. I’ve very thankful for the nurse who gave me the Hydrant, and for you who made it!”
Phil Walker

“Awesome product. I was in hospital for a spinal operation and really struggled to get a drink until I was given a Hydrant. It is simply brilliant. What a great solution to a massive problem in the health system. They should be on every hospital bed!! Good luck.”
RJB

 

New Mothers

“WOW!! What a great product the hydrant is. I have found it invaluable as I am terrible for not drinking enough and with this it’s right there easy to use and I can tell how much I’ve drunk. Fantastic for in the hospital after the birth of my daughter 3 weeks ago and great while I’m breastfeeding. Everyone who’s been to visit has asked about it and thought it was a fab idea. ” Danyella, mother of two

“Love the Hydrant. I found the Hydrant very helpful and I am still using it. I gave birth four weeks ago and it was great having a drink handy at all times. I had to stay in hospital for five days after the delivery and it was a god sent gift, especially at night time. I still have it attached to my bed, so I don’t have to get up and get a drink from the kitchen when I breast feed. I’d definitely recommend it.”
Jessica, new mum

“Every hospital should have them. I have just had a planned Caesarean Section and I found this product very useful indeed. I was given a private room and I set it up straight the way before I went down to theatre. I found that as I was in a private room the Midwives didn’t often come into me and if I didn’t have this product I would have been forever buzzing them to get me a jug of water. It is so hot in hospitals and thirsty work breast feeding. I couldn’t get out of bed for 24 hours and even after all my drips and Catheter were removed I still would have struggled to pour myself a glass of water so this product really was invaluable. I am currently still using it at home and have it set up on my bed so I can use it during the night feeds. This really is a great product and I feel every hospital should have them to offer patients that may need.”
Sarah, new mum

“The Hydrant was the most useful thing in my hospital bag. I was in hospital for a week and if I had been dependent on the hospital water jugs I would certainly have become dehydrated. Being able to attach the Hydrant to the bed was really helpful as we were moved rooms so often and the bed was moved with me. Having had a Caesarean the Hydrant was a godsend with helping my recovery. All the midwives and doctors were very impressed by the Hydrant as a way to monitor patient’s fluid intake. Back at home the Hydrant has really helped me to breast feed, its all too easy to become dehydrated even if you remember to get a glass of water before each feed its often out of reach! I highly recommend it for all expectant mothers.”
Claire, new mum

“This product is fantastic! One thing that they don’t always tell you about breastfeeding is how thirsty you get. When you think that you are providing all your little one’s drinking water it is no surprise! In hospital I was given one small jug of water and a plastic cup when I arrived and it always seemed to be out of reach when I was feeding. I was in hospital for 4 days after the birth and the hydrant was a godsend as I was drinking a lot of water each time I fed Joseph and it was always available, clipped to the side of the bed. The nurses and midwives all thought it was fantastic too, especially for mums who have had a Caesarean. I can’t recommend this product enough, you can also use it when you get home too clipped to your nursing chair. Breastfeeding can be hard to get to grips with in the early stages and any product which helps to make your life more comfortable is definitely worth it. One to add to the hospital bag!”
Elizabeth, mother of Joseph

“Hands-free for feeding! I took The Hydrant into hospital to use during labour and afterwards – it was a godsend! Just to have both of my own hands free to squeeze my husband’s hand to pieces was worth it! Whilst breastfeeding I was able to quench my thirst without stopping to faff around with mugs and cups. It’s really helpful when I’m on my own at home too – just fill it up before you start and then you can settle down with no worries – very useful as Eva sometimes takes up to an hour to finish! I would recommend The Hydrant to everyone who gets that ‘feeding thirst’ where you suddenly find yourself thinking, ‘I wish I’d made a drink before I started!'”
Angie, mother to Eva

Care Homes

“Thank you for The Hydrant that you passed on to me at this years’ Care Show in Bournemouth in April. A resident, who is solely dependent on us for almost everything, was delighted
to receive it. It created independence as she had a constant source of water on tap wherever she went day and night. We have now placed an order for more so that more of our residents can also benefit. Thank you for this simple but fantastic idea. We will always have The Hydrant drinking system in our home.”
Sue Howick, Manager, Winton House

“The Hydrant has been very successful with one of our residents that ordinarily had 3-4 beakers on her bedside table. The good thing with the system is that this lady can now be more independent with her fluid intake as she does not have to wait or rely on staff being available to
replenish her beakers. Thanks again”
Cathy Doswell, Littleport Grange Nursing Home 

Disabled Users

“I am a 56 year-old paraplegic T4 complete, and have been for the past 12 years. During the night, I need to drink water frequently and thanks to The Hydrant, there is no more knocking glasses over, fumbling for bottles, or the bed remote to sit myself up , tipping water down my neck, waking me and unable to get back sleep. Now I am almost drinking in my sleep what a great relief. I will place an order for another to use when driving my car, great product.”
Julian Stalley

“My 18 year old daughter has Cerebral Palsy and uses an electric wheelchair – she has always been a bit of a nightmare when it comes to drinking enough fluids and is also very dependant on others to fetch her a drink if she wants one. The Hydrant has been brilliant over the past few weeks, not least because I can keep tabs on exactly how much she has had just by glancing at the back of her wheelchair. She is much more independent as she does not have to ask others if she wants a drink, can drink exactly when she wants as it is always accessible, and it seems to be somewhat of a challenge to her to empty The Hydrant bottle every day!! Thanks, and well done for such a simple, but effective product.”
Karen McIllravie 

“I am so pleased with the Hydrant as I suffer with severe ME and find to keep lifting a jug and pouring water doesn’t sound like a lot but when you can hardly lift your arm up it saves a great deal of energy and my hands and arms are constantly in pain so to just have to move the tube over to your mouth is so much easier than lifting cups and refilling them. Also my saliva glands have stopped working so I constantly want drinks and I can fit it to my wheelchair too!! Thank you so much.”
Mattie Lowther 

“My husband who has MS and is very severely disabled thinks the Hydrant is the greatest invention ever! I have to help him with it but it saves me getting up several times in the night to give him a drink as all the medication makes him so thirsty. We also have a lot of carers and community nurses in and out and they also have shown an interest.”
Ina Munro 

“Firstly since I bought this from you at Naidex I have not once had to resort to antibiotics because of water infections. These were something I was getting on  a regular basis about every three weeks. I can hook the bottle up to the chest of draws at night and this means I can  get a drink myself without having to get the carer to get one for me so they  get a good nights sleep even if I don’t. When I am travelling in my van I can drink anytime I want without having to get  the carer to stop, come through to the back and organise my drink. When you are  doing a 5 hour journey this is a real boon. The extra water in this situation has meant I don’t arrive at journeys end with a headache, or a cross driver  because he had to stop several times. Thank you so much for my much improved quality of life.”
Tom Wallace

“I received the Hydrant yesterday and put it to use straight away, I am very impressed, and it does everything the website promises. I am wheelchair dependent following a road accident in 2002, in which I sustained a spinal cord injury, the outcome of this leaves me a tetraplegic,
which means that I have paralysis of my entire body from the chest down, I have  limited movement of my arms but cannot pick anything up, therefore the Hydrant  is ideal for my use, I can lift my hand to my face with the tube attached to my clothing and drink from the tube. Once again congratulations on a first class product.”
Ian Spalding

“I’ve got on so well The Hydrant, I had a neurological hospital bed fitted into my home as sometimes I’m bed bound by my condition, it’s nice for my family to not worry if I have access to fluids and it’s great to not have to get up all the time. Now purchased a 2nd one as I’m now heading to a wheelchair near enough full time so will be adding this onto the chair for when I’m out and about. Certainly comes highly recommended by me.”
Catherine Hedger 

“We got the Hydrant for our 13 year old son who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and was losing the power to lift his arms and like most 13 year old boys wanted to be independent so rather than ask for help with lifting his drink and didn’t like using straws because he felt too old and said straws were for little kids not teenagers avoided drinking. Having the hydrant gave him independence and now he has no problems drinking and is very happy to use this even when we go out we hook the bottle on the back of his wheelchair and passes the tube discretely round under his arm and clips to his clothing were he can then drink from the mouth piece easily.”
Diane Gilmour 

“I think I came across The Hydrant thought the Independent Living website. I have ordered one for my son who is tetraplegic and The Hydrant seems ideal for him, especially when he is in bed. He spent a year in the Duke of Cornwall Spinal Unit in Salisbury and it would have been great if he could have had some like The Hydrant there. I think he held the record for the most number of ‘buzzes’ at night for a nurse to get him a drink. Just thought I would let you know that The Hydrant has proved very successful. It is much more stable when hung on the back of my son’s bed. It is also much easier to keep clean. Success!”
Jeanette Everett 

“I’m writing to thank your company. I’m an electronic wheelchair user with extremely limited mobility due to osteoarthritis of the spine, arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome in both wrists. Unfortunately in January I fell while trying to transfer from my wheelchair to bed. This led to my being admitted to hospital for 10 days where I was given a Hydrant with drinking tube. I find drinking difficult due to having to hold a glass or cup which are difficult and heavy, but your bottle meant I could drink as much as I wanted without pain or the risk of spilling fluids down myself! On discharge I went home with one of your Hydrant systems, I have not stopped using it since. My carers fill my bottle each time they are in and attach it to my chair or bed, so I drink night and day now.  I really can not say a big enough thank you, your system has literally changed my life”

Marina Brown

Carers

“I think the Hydrant must be one of the best things ever invented for disabled people. I care for a relative who is almost completely paralysed with MS and was constantly calling on me for
drinks, because the medication she takes dries out her mouth. She is now able to reach the tube and drink when she wishes. Many thanks for the extra time you have given to me.”
Dave Hinxman 

“We purchased our Hydrant a couple of years ago and would really hate to be without it now. My husband has MS and is totally dependent on me for his quality of life, because of all his medication his mouth gets very dry and though he can drink through a straw during the day he needs help at night. I just have to reach out for the Hydrant and ‘hey presto’ water! He drinks 1 litre of water overnight and the hydrant saves me having to be in and out of bed to give him a
drink. The Hydrant is one of the small things that make a big difference to the life of a disabled person.”
IM

“I am a carer for a lady, Janine Webster who is a c4/5 complete tetraplaegic. whilst accompanying her to the spinal unit at Stoke Mandeville Hospital recently, we were in the Physio department and I noticed a lady with one of your hydrate bottles attached to the back of her wheelchair. I thought how fantastic it looked and asked her about it. She told me somebody from your company had been there and had asked her to try it out. As soon as I could I checked out your website, and Janine, who greatly values her independence, asked me to order it
for her. It means Janine, who drinks a lot, does not have to always call for a drink. The greatest benefit to her, I feel, is its use overnight. I can attach it to the back of her bed, clip it to her nighty, and she can drink whenever she wants, rather than getting carers up for one. which, although that is part of our job, she is reluctant to do! Janine is very happy with it, and says she
will be telling friends who would benefit from using it all about it.”
Carol Towersey 

“I just wanted to say a massive thank you for the bottle you gave me. I have eventually managed to get my dad to use it – he has been very very poorly with dehydration – he is now drinking at least two thirds a day and is so much better. Thanks – I honestly think your bottle saved his life.”

Helen S.

Sports & Leisure

“Just spent two weeks cycling round Cornwall with the Sports Hydrant as my extra friend on the handlebars. It just clips on securely and is always ready for a quick swig. After hundreds of miles across all terrain I can report that it’s secure, safe and (in all this mud and rain) much cleaner than the bottles ‘down below’.”
Rob