In the early 1960s, two companies on opposite sides of the Atlantic were beginning to make a name for themselves in the healthcare business.

In Wisconsin, in the United States, Joerns – the furniture manufacturing business started by the brothers Charles, Paul and Frederick Joerns in 1889 – was expanding rapidly into the long-term care market.

In Oxfordshire, England, engineer John Payne – was successfully commercialising the first mobile patient hoist. Working with Dr Ritchie Russell from the Headington Hill Hospital, he had improved an existing bed hoist system which used counterbalanced weights to assist nurses in the lifting and transferring of World War Two veterans.

After installing the first wall-mounted patient lift at Headington Hall in 1954, the first ‘Oxford’ mobile patient hoist was commercialised and launched onto the general market in 1955. It was sold directly through F.J. Payne. The brand name ‘Oxford’ was chosen because of the rich tradition of medical research and development concentrated in the Oxford region.

After the launch of Oxford’s first patient lift in 1955, many more new products followed. In the years that followed, they helped to position Oxford as a leading brand in patient handling products.

Following a short collaboration, F. J. Payne sold Oxford to Parker Bath in 1989.

In 1996, Sunrise Medical acquired the Oxford brand from Parker Bath and began manufacturing Oxford patient hoists in the West Midlands. Sunrise Medical continued to build on the Oxford brand and launched several leading lifts, including the famous Mini, Midi, Major and Maxi patient hoists.

Then in 2007, a global re-organisation within Sunrise Medical led to the launch of a new separate company – Joerns Healthcare.

Today, with operations in the United States, the UK, Canada and the Netherlands, the Joerns business focuses primarily on the long-term care sector and incorporates a number of market leading brands. Alongside Oxford are several other core brands, including Hoyer (patient lifts) and Joerns (beds & furnishings).

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